The State Russian Museum is one of the world’s largest museums and is perhaps the only one in the country, where treasures of national culture are presented so widely. It accommodates not only paintings, but also graphics, sculptures and works of decorative art. Today the museum collection comprises nearly 400 000 exhibits. For the first time the doors of the Russian Museum were opened 7 March 1898, three years after the decree of Nicholas II on the establishment of the Russian Museum named after Emperor Alexander III. The same decree assigned accommodation of Russian paintings and sculptures in one of the most beautiful buildings in St. Petersburg – the Mikhailovsky Palace constructed in 1825 by the famous architect Carlo Rossi
There is no major Russian painter or sculptor, whose work is not presented in the Museum. During the tour of the Russian Museum you will see the best creations of outstanding artists of the past and present, such as Karl Briullov, Ivan Aivazovsky, Viktor Vasnetsov, Vasily Surikov, Ilya Repin, Nicholas Roerich and many others. The museum constantly replenishes its collection through new acquisitions and gifts.
