Exhibition 'Prologue. Masterpieces of Russian Art. 18th–19th centuries'

About exhibition

The exhibition presents works by the leading masters of Russian art of the 18th–19th centuries from the museum's collections. The heyday of the national portrait genre is demonstrated by paintings by F.S. Rokotov, D.G. Levitsky, V.L. Borovikovsky and S.S. Shchukin. The work of F.Ya. Alexeyev and F.M. Matveev serves as an example of landscape painting. The pride of the collection consists of eight canvases by V.A. Tropinin, the foremost representative of the Russian portrait school of the first half of the 19th century. The Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) are represented by genre paintings by V.M. Maksimov, V.E. Makovsky and I.M. Pryanishnikov. The traditions of the national realist school of landscape painting are illustrated by works by A.K. Savrasov, F.A. Vasilyev, I.I. Shishkin and I.K. Aivazovsky. Works by masters of Russian art V.A. Serov and I.I. Levitan testify to the search for new directions in painting at the end of the 19th century. Also on display are the 'pearls' of the museum's painting collection – 'The Little Widow' by P.A. Fedotov, 'Madonna with Child' by F.A. Bruni and 'Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane' by N.N. Ge.