I. I. Levitan Memorial House-Museum

About museum

The Ples Museum-Reserve was opened in 1972 in a house built in 1835 that belonged to the merchant A. I. Solodovnikov. In the summers of 1888 and 1889 the artists I. I. Levitan, A. S. Stepanov and S. P. Kuvshinnikova lived here. The museum's exhibition consists of three sections. The first hall presents a brief history of Levitan's life and a detailed account of his time in Ples in reproductions and photographs. Personal belongings of I. Levitan, donated by his relatives, the Birchansky family, are also displayed. The second hall exhibits original paintings by Levitan and his friends, as well as a sculptural portrait of the artist by G. P. Gutman, transferred from the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The large collection of Russian painting consists of gifts to the museum and acquisitions from private Moscow collections. The mezzanine contains memorial rooms recreated by the granddaughter of the house's former owner. In the room where Levitan and Stepanov lived, their portraits and works are displayed.