Art Museums and Art Galleries
Academy of Fine Arts Museum
Many prominent Russian artists graduated from the Russian Academy of Fine Arts.
The museum's exhibitions, displayed in the former building of the Academy, feature graduation and study
projects completed by students of the Academy, a number of works by the Academy's teaching staff and various
paintings related to the history of the Academy.
The Applied Art Museum (St. Petersburg’s Artistic-IndustrialAcademy)
The building itself is the jewel of the architectural style. The inner decoration represents almost all historical
epochs and art styles. Some of the museum's elegant smaller halls, including the Antique, Medieval and Ancient
Russian rooms are definitely worth a look. The museum owns more than 40 thousand exhibits including various
decorative arts and crafts, including furniture, porcelain, chandeliers, tiled stoves, artistic metalwork,
bass relieves and carvings. The museum's building is a masterpiece in its own right and was built in eclectic
style
Marble Palace
The Marble Palace, boasts of some formidable architecture and an interesting history.
Thirty-two different types of marble were used to decorate the building's facades and interiors, hence its name.
The palace was built by Catherine II for her favourite Grigory Orlov, but the count died before it was completed.
Visitors to the Marble Palace can enjoy the museum's very popular permanent collection of Modern and Pop Art,
featuring paintings, graphics and sculpture and a couple of well-known canvasses by Pop Art idol Andy Warhol.
The Russian Museum's Contemporary Art Department arranges displays of modern art here.
The Museum of Ethnography
The unique collections trace the evolution of human civilization and contain close to a million exhibits –
the rare objects of culture. The museum is devoted to the culture and everyday life of the peoples of Russia.
The tools, domestic items, folk costumes, utensils and objects of ritual that are exhibited in the 24 halls
of the museum, give an idea about the occupations of the population, their dwellings, holidays, rites and religious
beliefs. Most of the exhibits illustrating the domestic culture of the various peoples of Russia in the 19th and
20th centuries are presented in the form of life size models.
Museum of Theatrical and Musical Arts
The exhibition gives a detailed account of the history of Russian theatrical art. Theatrical posters, programs,
rare photographs, the personal effects of famous actors are all to be seen here. One can explore a unique
collection of authentic theatrical costumes and an extensive selection of audio-recordings.
Sheremetev Palace (Fountain Palace)
A branch of the Museum of Theatrical and Musical Arts
The Sheremetev Palace on the Fontanka River Embankment ("Fountain House") is a fine example of Baroque architecture.
From the late 18th century the palace was the centre of St. Petersburg's theatrical and musical life.
The counts Sheremetev kept a splendid serf theatre which was well known in the capital. The palace also recalls
the romantic love story of Count Nikolai Sheremetev and the serf singer Prascovya Kovaleva-Zhemchugova,
who later became Countess Sheremeteva.
The Sheremetevs owned the palace for more than 150 years. At different times it was visited by Alexander Pushkin,
Vasily Zhukovsky, Ivan Turgenev, Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Serov, Vladimir Stasov, Mily Balakirev and many others.
In 1918, its last private owner, Sergei Sheremetev, gave the palace and its art collections to the Soviet state.
The beautiful interiors of the mid-18th century have now been restored. The exhibition recounts the history of the
Sheremetev family, and a collection of musical instruments is on display.
