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In St. Petersburg, Tretyakov saw a collection of paintings by Fyodor Pryanishnikov. He was struck by the works of Tropinin, Venetsianov, and especially the "Major's Matchmaking" and "The Fresh Cavalier" by Fedotov. The owner of the collection offered it for 70,000 rubles. Tretyakov did not have that kind of money, and then Pryanishnikov recommended buying paintings from the artists themselves: it was cheaper that way.

Pavel Mikhailovich went to the workshops of the capital's painters, and Nikolai Schilder saw the work "Temptation": a seriously ill woman is on the bed, and next to her is a matchmaker with an offer of a profitable marriage for her daughter. The heroine of the picture refused, but her determination was fading, because her mother urgently needed money for medicines. This story stirred up Tretyakov himself, whose lover in the same situation could not reject the offer of a rich boyfriend. Pavel Mikhailovich did not reveal this secret to anyone in order to preserve the good name of the girl, but he bought the painting by Schilder. This is how the principle of the collection was determined: no ceremonial portraits - only realism and lively subjects.

Pavel Tretyakov replenished the collection throughout his life. It was located in his house in Lavrushensky Lane. The Tretyakovs bought it from the merchants Shestovs back in 1851. And in 1860, Pavel Mikhailovich wrote the first will, where he allocated 150,000 rubles for the creation of a gallery of paintings by Russian artists. For this good cause, he bequeathed his collection and offered to buy several more collections. His brother, Sergei Tretyakov, was also a collector, but collected Western art.

Pavel Mikhailovich gave preference exclusively to Russian artists.

For example, he did not buy paintings by Semiramidsky, as he presented his best work to Krakow. When choosing paintings, Tretyakov relied on his own taste. Once, at an exhibition of the Wanderers, art critics rushed to criticize Nesterov's Bartholomew. They convinced Tretyakov that the painting should be removed. After listening to the arguments, Pavel Mikhailovich replied that he had bought this work long before the exhibition, and would have bought it again even after the angry tirade of his opponents.

Soon Tretyakov began to have a huge impact on the development of art. He could demand that the artists make changes. He ordered portraits of those persons whom he considered worthy for the gallery. So Herzen, Nekrasov, Saltykov-Shchedrin appeared there. And Konstantin Ton or Apollo Maykov seemed to not exist for him.

It was a cherished dream of every young artist (and even an old one) to get into his gallery, and even more so for mine: after all, my father announced to me semi-seriously a long time ago that all my medals and titles would not convince him that I was a “ready artist”, until my painting is in the gallery.

True, Tretyakov had a rival in the field of collecting. And what - Alexander III himself! The tsar was furious when he saw the Wanderers at exhibitions the best works the note “Property of P.M. Tretyakov. But often he managed to interrupt the price offered by Pavel Mikhailovich. So already Nicholas II, in memory of his father, bought from Surikov for fabulous money "The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak." The artist promised this picture to Tretyakov, but could not resist a good deal. And he gave the sketch of the work to the philanthropist free of charge. He is still exhibited in the gallery.

All this did not prevent the Tretyakov collection from growing, and the architect Kaminsky rebuilt the gallery building several times.

In the winter of 1887, Pavel Tretyakov's beloved son died of scarlet fever. His last words were a request to go to church. And then Pavel Mikhailovich began to collect icons.

In 1892, after the death of Sergei Tretyakov, the brothers' collections were merged. Pavel Mikhailovich donated them and the building in Lavrushensky Lane to Moscow. This is how the Tretyakov Gallery Museum appeared.

At the time of foundation, the collection included 1,369 paintings, 454 drawings, 19 sculptures, 62 icons. Pavel Tretyakov received the title of honorary citizen of Moscow and remained a trustee until his death Tretyakov Gallery. He continued to replenish the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery at his own expense. And this required the expansion of the exposition area, so new premises were added to the mansion. At the same time, the gallery bore the name of both brothers, although, in fact, it was the collection of Pavel Mikhailovich.

After the death of the patron, the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery was rebuilt according to the sketches of V.M. Vasnetsov in the form of a fabulous tower. Above the entrance to the museum appeared a bas-relief of the saint and the name written in Old Russian script.

In 1913, the Moscow City Duma appointed Igor Grabar as a trustee of the Tretyakov Gallery. He turned the Tretyakov Gallery into a European-style museum with chronological exposition.

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The principles of choosing paintings for the collection have also changed. Already in 1900, the gallery bought Vasnetsov's Alyonushka from von Meck. Previously rejected by Tretyakov.

And in 1925, contrary to the will of the founders of the Tretyakov Gallery, its collection was divided. Part of the collection was transferred to the Museum of Western Painting (now the Museum fine arts named after A.S. Pushkin), and some paintings were taken to the Hermitage.

But in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery there were real treasures. The most complete is the art collection of the second half of XIX century - it has no equal. Here are just some of the masterpieces of the Tretyakov Gallery: "They did not expect", "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan" I.E. Repin, “Morning of the Streltsy Execution”, “Menshikov in Berezovo”, “Boyar Morozova” by V.I. Surikov, "Trinity" by A. Rublev, "Apotheosis of War" by V. Vereshchagin, "The Tempest" by I. Aivazovsky, "The Last Day of Pompeii" by K. Bryullov, "Bogatyrs" by V. Vasnetsov, Portrait of A.S. Pushkin by O. Kiprensky, "Unknown" by I. Kramskoy, " Golden autumn"I. Levitan, "Troika" by V. Perov, "Unequal Marriage" by V. Pukirev, "The Rooks Have Arrived" by A. Savrasov, "Princess Tarakanova" by K. Flavitsky. There is a separate room where the “Appearance of Christ to the People” by A.A. Ivanova. In the Vrubel Hall you can see the "Princess of the Dream", "The Swan Princess", majolica. And the paintings of P.A. Fedotov was usually accompanied by poetry.

I'm a fresh cavalier
And now it's clear to everyone
I will be an example to everyone
And everything will count.
I'm a fresh cavalier
I'm an imposing guy
This satin fleur
It suits me very well.
Open the door wider
For some reason I'm hot
I deserve a cross
And glory to me
I'm a fresh cavalier
Come close to me, cook
And show kindness
You are my night time.
Now I'm like an actor
I am Hamlet, I am Othello
splendid dignity,
I shine like a portrait
And my satin fleur
Thrown so skillfully
And even my trestle bed
Everyone radiates light.
I have a cross
But that's not enough for me
I'm a fresh cavalier
I am the conqueror of ladies
I'll wait for a day like this
How do I become a general?
And I will be an example to everyone
For daughters and mothers...

Among the treasures of the Tretyakov Gallery there are real secrets.

For example, in the painting "Morning in pine forest”Only Shishkin is listed as the author, although Savitsky wrote the bears. But Pavel Tretyakov, who was not told about the second author, personally erased Savitsky's signature with turpentine.

Rokotov's painting "Unknown in a cocked hat" depicts a woman. Initially, it was a portrait of the artist's friend's first wife. When, having become a widow, he married a second time, he asked Rokotov to spare the feelings of his second wife, and the painter applied a second layer, turning the woman into a man, but did not touch his face.

And when in 1885 Pavel Mikhailovich bought Repin's painting "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan", he was forbidden to exhibit it. At first he showed the canvas in a narrow circle, and then hung it in a special room. In 1913, the Old Believer Abram Balashev came to the gallery with a knife in his boot and slashed the canvas. Fortunately, the painting has been restored.

On May 25, 2018, Repin's canvas suffered again: a resident of Voronezh, Igor Podporin, broke the glass and tore the canvas. He explained his actions by the fact that the picture depicts unreliable events. And on January 27, 2019, Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting “Ai-Petri. Crimea". The perpetrator was quickly found, and the painting was returned.

Now the Tretyakov Gallery welcomes guests with a fabulous facade. And in the courtyard there is a monument to the founder - P.M. Tretyakov. He replaced the monument to I.V. Stalin of the work of S.D. Merkulov 1939.

They say that...... the building of the Tretyakov Gallery was damaged during the Great Patriotic War: two high-explosive bombs broke the glass roof in several places, destroyed the interfloor ceilings of some halls and the main entrance. The restoration of the building began already in 1942, and in 1944 40 of the 52 halls were in operation, where the evacuated exhibits returned.
...single girls can make a wish near V.M. Vasnetsov "Alyonushka", and love is not long in coming.
...girls are not allowed to look at the portrait of Maria Lopukhina in the Tretyakov Gallery for a long time. She died shortly after painting, and her father, a mystic and master of the Masonic Lodge, lured the spirit of his daughter into this portrait.
... the doormen of the Tretyakov Gallery did not let Ilya Repin near the paintings if he had brushes in his hands. The artist was so self-critical that he strove to correct already completed paintings.
...the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery almost perished in the flood of 1908. When Lavrushinsky began to flood with water, the building was surrounded by a brick wall, which was constantly built on to hold back the water. And the gallery workers at the time of the flood moved all the paintings to the second floor.
... in the Tretyakov Gallery there is a portrait of Ivan Abramovich Morozov against the backdrop of a still life by Henri Matisse. The curators joke that Serov copied the French artist so accurately that there was one more Matisse painting in Russia.

The Tretyakov Gallery in photographs of different years:

Could you complete the story about the Tretyakov Gallery?

The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the largest museums in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people annually get acquainted with the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, dedicated exclusively to national Russian art, those artists who have made a great contribution to the history of Russian art
Muscovites call this museum warmly and with love - "Tretyakovka". He is familiar to us and close to early childhood when we started coming there with our parents. Cozy, warm in Moscow style, located in a quiet Lavrushinsky lane among the streets and alleys of Zamoskvorechye, the oldest district of Moscow.
The founder of the Tretyakov Gallery was the Moscow merchant and industrialist Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov. At first, everything that was purchased by Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov was placed in the rooms of his apartment building in Lavrushinsky Lane, bought by the Tretyakov family in the early 1850s. But by the end of the 1860s, there were so many paintings that it was impossible to place them all in the rooms.
The founding date of the Tretyakov Gallery is considered to be 1856, when Pavel Tretyakov acquired two paintings by Russian artists: "The Temptation" by N. G. Schilder and "Clash with Finnish Smugglers" by V. G. Khudyakov, although earlier in 1854-1855 he bought 11 graphic sheets and 9 paintings by old Dutch masters. In 1867, the Moscow City Gallery of Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov was opened to the general public in Zamoskvorechye. Her collection included 1276 paintings, 471 drawings and 10 sculptures by Russian artists, as well as 84 paintings by foreign masters.
P. M. Tretyakov, setting out to create a collection that in the future could develop into a museum of national art. “For me, who truly and ardently love painting, there can be no better desire than to lay the foundation for a public, accessible repository of fine arts that will bring benefits to many, everyone will enjoy,” wrote P. M. Tretyakov in 1860, adding: "... I would like to leave the national gallery, that is, consisting of paintings by Russian artists." Throughout his life, Tretyakov remained a major business man who did not have special education in the field of painting. Contemporaries were much surprised by the natural intelligence and impeccable taste of this hereditary merchant. Over time, high taste, strict selection, noble intentions brought Tretyakov a well-deserved and undeniable authority and gave him "privileges" that no other collector had: Tretyakov received the right to be the first to look at new works by artists either directly in their studios or at exhibitions, but usually prior to their public opening. P. M. Tretyakov bought the paintings that interested him, regardless of the opinions of critics and the dissatisfaction of the censors. This was with such paintings as "Rural Procession for Easter" by V. G. Perov, "Ivan the Terrible" by I. E. Repin. P. M. Tretyakov clearly understood that the museum he created should not so much correspond to his personal tastes and sympathies as reflect an objective picture of the development of Russian art. And until now, almost everything that was acquired by P. M. Tretyakov constitutes a genuine golden fund not only of the Tretyakov Gallery, but of all Russian art.

In 1892, Pavel Mikhailovich donated his art gallery to the city of Moscow. By that time, the collection included 1287 paintings and 518 graphic works of the Russian school, 75 paintings and 8 drawings of the European school, 15 sculptures and a collection of icons.
Pavel Tretyakov until his death was the manager of the gallery. In 1898, a Council was created to manage the gallery, chaired by a trustee, which at the beginning was I. S. Ostroukhov, and since 1913 - I. E. Grabar.
In early 1913, the Moscow City Duma elected Igor Grabar as a trustee of the Tretyakov Gallery.

On June 3, 1918, the Tretyakov Gallery was declared "state property of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic" and was named the State Tretyakov Gallery. Igor Grabar was again appointed director of the museum.
In 1926, Academician of Architecture A.V. Shchusev. The following year, the gallery received a neighboring house on Maly Tolmachevsky Lane (the former house of the merchant Sokolikov). After perestroika, the administration of the Gallery, scientific departments, a library, a department of manuscripts, and graphics funds were located here.
In 1932, the building of the church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi was transferred to the Gallery, which became a storehouse of painting and sculpture. Later, it was connected to the exposition halls by a two-story building, the upper floor of which was specially designed to display A. A. Ivanov's painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People" (1837-1857). A passage was also built between the halls located on both sides of the main staircase. This ensured the continuity of the exposure review.
In 1936, a new two-story building was opened on the north side of the main building - the so-called "Shchusevsky building". These halls were first used for exhibitions, and since 1940 they have been included in the main exhibition route.
In 1956, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, the A.A. Ivanova. In 1980, a monument to P. M. Tretyakov, created by the sculptor A.P. Kibalnikov and architect I.E. Rogozhin.
Over the years of reconstruction, a new concept of the Tretyakov Gallery has developed as a single museum on two territories: in Lavrushinsky Lane, where expositions and repositories of old art are concentrated, from ancient times to the early 1910s, and in a building on Krymsky Val, the exposition areas of which are given to art XX century. Exhibitions, both old and new art, are held in both territories.
The current collection of the Tretyakov Gallery has more than 100 thousand works.

State Tretyakov Gallery, national gallery of Russian painting, -- Art Museum world importance. The formation of the Gallery itself was at the same time the process of the formation of Russian national art, moreover, of Russian national self-consciousness. The very fact of the existence of this amazing gallery turned out to be a powerful stimulus for artists, contributing to the creation of works addressed to the people, imbued with the truth of life, a sense of beauty.

In 1918 V.I. Lenin, signing the decree on the nationalization of the Gallery, gave it the name of the State Tretyakov Gallery, thereby appreciating the merit of the founder of the Gallery, Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov.

The year of foundation of the Tretyakov Gallery is considered to be 1856. It was then that Pavel Mikhailovich acquired the first two paintings by Russian artists: “The Temptation” by N.G. Schilder and "Clash with Finnish smugglers" by V.G. Khudyakov. Earlier in 1854 - 1855 P.M. Tretyakov bought 11 graphic sheets and 9 paintings by old Dutch masters. These pictures decorated the rooms in Tolmachi. When Pavel Mikhailovich began to collect paintings by Russian artists, he first hung them in his office. Over time, when it became crowded, the paintings were hung in the dining room, then in the living room. He sent the old Dutch to Ilyinsky Lane, where his mother had lived since 1865. When the first gallery was built and the paintings from the living rooms were moved to a new place, the Dutch returned to the empty walls and remained there until the end of Pavel Mikhailovich's life. Whether all these paintings were originals is difficult to say. Subsequently, Pavel Mikhailovich said that, having bought them, he immediately realized that he had too little knowledge and experience to risk buying unmistakable works of old Western masters, and decided to acquire only paintings by Russian artists from exhibitions or from the authors themselves. In 1853, a description of Pryanishnikov's gallery appeared. Pavel Mikhailovich could not help being interested in this meeting and, of course, seeing it, could not help but be carried away by the desire to follow the example of Pryanishnikov. But Pryanishnikov had a collection of works by his contemporaries, our oldest and best masters. Young Pavel Mikhailovich at that time was beyond his powers, and he began collecting from his contemporaries.

The beginning of his collection, the first picture of Russian artists, Pavel Mikhailovich calls Schilder's "Temptation". He marks this acquisition in the catalog as 1856. According to Schilder's letter, another date can be established (July 1858). This difference in dates can be explained by assuming that the painting was just begun, or even in a sketch, when Pavel Mikhailovich saw it for the first time, and that it was finished by the artist for Pavel Mikhailovich. Apparently, Pavel Mikhailovich noted the name of the artist Schilder, since this was the first artist to whom he made an order.

According to documentary data, the first purchase of Pavel Mikhailovich is Khudyakov's painting "Finland Smugglers". The painting was painted in 1853, and he bought it in 1856, visiting Khudyakov's workshop in St. Petersburg. During his stay in St. Petersburg in 1856, Pavel Tretyakov commissioned paintings from several artists: N.G. Schilder, N.E. Sverchkov, I.I. Sokolov, A.S. Bogomolov-Romanovich, A.G. Goravsky.

In the spring of 1856, Pavel Mikhailovich met Khudyakov and the Goravsky brothers, Apollinary and Ippolit in St. Petersburg. Since 1857, several artists have been visiting the Tretyakovs, they become close and enthusiastic friends of the whole family. Muscovites were Nevrev, Trutnev, who after some time moved to St. Petersburg, and Khudyakov, who, after traveling abroad, settled in Moscow. Among the visitors were the Goravskys, K.A. Trutovsky, L.F. Lagorio.

At the end of the 1850s, paintings “Cherry picking” by I.I. Sokolova, "Pedlar" V.I. Jacobi, "View in the vicinity of Oranienbaum" A.K. Savrasova, "The Sick Musician" by M.P. Klodt. Probably, already then Tretyakov planned to create a museum where the national Russian school of painting would be presented.

From Trutovsky, Pavel Mikhailovich began to acquire in 1859. Tretyakov gets the famous "Round Dance", one of the best works of Trutovsky. On the acquisition of the "Dying Musician" by M.P. Nothing was found in Klodt's letters. The painting was painted in 1859 and was probably bought at the same time.

In the 1860s, Tretyakov acquired the paintings "Halt of Prisoners" by V.I. Yakobi, "The Last Spring" by M.P. Klodt, "Grandma's Dreams" by V.M. Maksimov and others. Pavel Mikhailovich highly appreciated the work of VG Perov, to whom he wrote in October 1860: "Take care of yourself for the service of art and for your friends." In the 1860s, such works by Perov as "Rural religious procession at Easter", "Troika" and "Amateur" were acquired; in the future, Tretyakov continued to acquire paintings by Perov, ordered him portraits, and actively participated in organizing a posthumous exhibition of the artist's works.

In 1862, Bogolyubov sent the Ipatiev Monastery to Pavel Mikhailovich.

At the same time, Perov's "Rural Procession at Easter" and Pukirev's "Unequal Marriage" come to Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov.

In 1864, the first painting appeared in the collection, written on the plot of Russian history, “Princess Tarakanova” by K.D. Flavitsky. In the late 1860s, Pavel Mikhailovich ordered F.A. Bronnikov’s work, which later became the favorite painting of Vera Nikolaevna Tretyakova, is “The Hymn of the Pythagoreans to the Rising Sun”.

P.M. Tretyakov loved nature and understood it subtly, so the acquisition of landscapes was always not accidental. In the 1860s, paintings by L.F. Lagorio, A.P. Bogolyubov, M.K. Klodt, I.I. Shishkin. Ordering A.G. Goravsky, the execution of the landscape, P.M. Tretyakov wrote: “I don’t need either rich nature, or magnificent composition, or spectacular lighting, no miracles, give me at least a dirty puddle, but so that there is truth in it, poetry, and poetry in everything can be, this is the artist’s business.”

The portrait gallery occupied a special place in Tretyakov's collection. In the 1860s, a portrait of the Italian archaeologist M.A. Lunches by K.P. Bryullov, a little later, portraits of architects A.M. Gornostaeva, I.A. Monighetti, poet V.A. Zhukovsky and others, also by Bryullov. In the same years, a portrait of V.A. Dental work by V.A. Tropinin. The idea of ​​Pavel Mikhailovich about the collection of portraits of prominent people in the field of art and science has been developing especially strongly since 1869-1870. Prior to this, portraits were acquired, for the most part, as works of great artists that interested him. Now Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov decided to create a portrait gallery of outstanding figures of Russian culture - composers, writers, artists. He began not only to buy already created works, but also to order portraits. So, V.G. Perov, at the request of P.M. Tretyakov, painted portraits of A.N. Ostrovsky, F.M. Dostoevsky, A.N. Maykova, M.P. Pogodina, V.I. Dahl, I.S. Turgenev; I.N. Kramskoy - portraits of L.N. Tolstoy, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, S.T. Aksakov and N.A. Nekrasov.

In 1870, Pavel Mikhailovich was lucky enough to receive a portrait of Gogol, painted from nature by F.A. Moller. In the same year, Perov wrote for Tretyakov a portrait of N.G. Rubinstein and in 1871 - A.N. Ostrovsky; Kramskoy wrote Shevchenko, Vasiliev, Antokolsky and M.K. Klodt.

In 1872, Pavel Mikhailovich received a whole series of portraits of writers painted by Perov: Dostoevsky, Maikov, Turgenev, Dal, Pogodin.

In the portraits of Turgenev, Pavel Mikhailovich sought a similarity, one that would convey Turgenev as he himself saw and understood him. He met with him, was familiar, and not a single portrait completely satisfied him. He wanted Turgenev to be written by Gun, who lived in Paris at the same time as the writer, but this did not happen - Gun did not dare to write it. Still, Perov wrote Turgenev, although Pavel Mikhailovich did not want to have so many portraits of one brush.

Orders for portraits were often associated for Pavel Mikhailovich with great unrest: either the portraits did not work out, or the originals did not agree to pose, or even worse - people got sick and died.

In 1869, Tretyakov asked A.A. Feta intercede to L.N. Tolstoy agreed to pose. On October 25, Afanasy Afanasievich informed Pavel Mikhailovich that Tolstoy positively and definitely refused. Four years have passed. Pavel Mikhailovich learns that I.N. Kramskoy lives five versts from Tolstoy's estate, in the estate where he is going to paint the painting "Inspection of the Old House". Pavel Tretyakov asks Kramskoy to use all his efforts to get Lev Nikolayevich's consent. And in a letter dated September 5, Kramskoy writes to Pavel Mikhailovich about the consent of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy.

Pavel Mikhailovich highly appreciated the talent of I.N. Kramskoy, with whom he became especially close in 1876. At this time, the artist lived with Tretyakov in a house in Lavrushinsky Lane, where he painted a portrait of Vera Nikolaevna Tretyakova. Taking advantage of the malaise and forced inactivity of the ever-busy Tretyakov, the artist began to paint his portrait. Since then, the families have become friends. Rapprochement was facilitated by common artistic views, and the conviction of the social, civic mission of art. At this time, Tretyakov became a sincere supporter of the newly established Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (TPKhV). Pavel Mikhailovich visits all the exhibitions of the TPES, provides material and moral support to the Wanderers. From now on, most of the paintings for the gallery are bought at the TPHV exhibitions or even before them, directly in the artists' studios. In the 1870s, the paintings “Christ in the Desert” by I.N. Kramskoy, Pinery» I.I. Shishkin, "Wet Meadow" by F.A. Vasilyeva, "The Rooks Have Arrived" by A.K. Savrasov, “Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich” N.N. Ge and others.

After Dostoevsky's advice, conveyed by Perov, that one should have a portrait of Tyutchev, Pavel Mikhailovich probably had this in mind, especially since he himself valued Tyutchev very highly. In 1873, Pavel Mikhailovich hurried. There was a rumor about Tyutchev's illness. Repin did not have time to paint a portrait of Fyodor Ivanovich. Tyutchev for Pavel Mikhailovich was made in 1876 by Aleksandrovsky from a photograph.

On the second traveling exhibition Tretyakov bought the painting The Mouth of the Neva by Bogolyubov, for pointing to which he thanked Kramskoy. Perov's works, portraits of Turgenev, Dahl, Pogodin, Dostoevsky and Maikov, belonging to him, were also exhibited there; Myasoedova - “Zemstvo is having lunch”, Klodt - “On arable land”, “Stream in the forest” and “Noon” - Shishkin.

The name of Vereshchagin first sounded loudly in 1868, when he, having gone as an artist during the expedition of General Kaufman, distinguished himself and received George. In 1869, Kaufman returned to St. Petersburg, and on the initiative of Vereshchagin, a general Turkestan exhibition was organized with zoological and mineralogical collections, with paintings and sketches by Vereshchagin. Although there are no traces of Pavel Mikhailovich's visit to this exhibition, one must assume that he did not miss it. But there were no things purchased on it.

In the autumn of 1872, Pavel Mikhailovich visited Vereshchagin's workshop in Munich, from which he emerged as an ardent admirer of his talent.

In the spring of 1874, Vereshchagin arranged an exhibition of his works, made after the Turkestan campaign and travel through Central Asia. From the very beginning, Pavel Mikhailovich wanted to acquire the entire collection without fragmentation, to place it in Moscow, in a separate gallery, conveniently arranged (with overhead lighting) on ​​a large street and permanently open to the public. Having overcome various obstacles, Tretyakov bought the paintings for a very high price - 92,000 rubles in order to donate everything to the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, but the school council rejected the gift due to lack of premises and funds for its construction. Pavel Mikhailovich decided to transfer the collection to the Moscow Society of Art Lovers on the condition that it be open for inspection. The society had to find funds for this within three years, which they failed to do, and Vereshchagin's Turkestan series returned to Tretyakov, who by that time had a collection of the artist's sketches performed in India.

Acquired paintings Pavel Mikhailovich placed in his house in Lavrushinsky Lane. There wasn't enough space. In 1872, the construction of the first two museum halls proper was started, in 1874 they were ready. The halls communicated with living quarters. The construction work was supervised by the husband of one of the Tretyakov sisters, architect A.S. Kaminsky. Turkestan series V.V. Vereshchagin made me think about a new perestroika. In 1882, after her return to the gallery, 6 new halls were added. In the 1880s, Tretyakov's collection grew considerably.

Paintings by V.I. Surikov "Morning of the Streltsy Execution", "Menshikov in Berezovo", "Boyar Morozova"; works by I.E. Repin "Religious procession in the Kursk province", "They did not wait", "Tsar Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan"; works by V.M. Vasnetsov "After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsy", I.I. Shishkin "Morning in a pine forest", I.N. Kramskoy "Inconsolable grief", N.A. Yaroshenko "Life is everywhere" and others. Paintings by V.D. Polenova, I.I. Levitan, A.M. Vasnetsova, I.S. Ostroukhov. In 1885, 7 more halls were added to the house in Lavrushinsky. By this time, Pavel Mikhailovich, when choosing works, already completely relies on his own taste, despite the objections, and sometimes the indignation of eminent artists. In 1888 he buys a painting by V.A. Serov "The Girl Illuminated by the Sun", ambiguously received by the public. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, the gallery also received paintings by the young M.V. Nesterov "The Hermit" and "Vision to the youth Bartholomew", as well as "After the rain. Ples” I.I. Levitan. Once again, the exposition areas had to be expanded, and in 1892 another 6 halls were added.

1892 was a significant year for the gallery, this year Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov donated it to the city of Moscow.

The Tretyakov Gallery is another sight Moscow, which every tourist must visit. The largest collection of paintings in Russia is located here. Now the mansion in Lavrushinsky lane, whose facade is decorated with stucco, is a famous gallery, and in the 19th century it was a merchant's house. In 1851, this mansion was bought by a philanthropist, the owner paper spinning factories and art collector Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov. Initially, the house was bought for living and only much later it turns into a gallery.

In 1854, Tretyakov purchased 9 canvases and 11 sheets of graphics by old Dutch masters and placed them in his mansion. According to historians, this was the creation of the famous gallery. However, the official year of its foundation is 1856. This year for his collection P. M . Tretyakov acquires two canvases - V. G . Khudyakov "Clash with the Finnish smugglers"and N. G . Schilder "Temptation".

Together with Pavel, his brother Sergei is also engaged in the acquisition of paintings by famous painters. For some time, only a narrow circle of people can admire the collection of the Tretyakov brothers. But in 1867 it first became available to the general public. By this year, the collection of the Tretyakov brothers already consisted of 471 drawings, 10 sculptures and 1276 paintings. The vast majority of works were by domestic masters.

Time passed. The collection kept growing. Additional additions had to be made to the house. New rooms appeared. In 1892 Pyotr Mikhailovich Tretyakov donated the gallery to Moscow. In 1904, the building of the art gallery acquired the famous Vasnetsovsky facade. The sketch of the facade was created by the famous Russian painter V. M . Vasnetsov (the facade was named after him), and designed by V. N . Bashkirov.

Every year the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery increased, it was necessary to streamline it. Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, having become in 1913 first a trustee and then a director of the gallery, for the first time introduced in Russia the arrangement of paintings in chronological okay.

After the revolution, it was decided to transfer neighboring buildings to the Tretyakov Gallery. First, the house in Maly Tolmachevsky Lane (the former property of the merchant Sokolikov) was attributed to it, and then the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. In order to prolong the work of the gallery , it was electrified in 1929 .

In 1941, the collection was evacuated, and the building itself was seriously damaged. However, by 1945, most of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery were restored, the exhibits were returned to Moscow, and tourists were able to admire the works of Russian masters again.

In 1986, the gallery building was closed for a major overhaul, which lasted almost 10 years. Part of the exposition was located in one of the buildings on Krymsky Val. The same year is also the moment of the formation of the All-Russian Museum Association, called " State Tretyakov Gallery ". Today in the State The Tretyakov Gallery, in addition to these two buildings, also includes the house-museum of P. Korina, museum-temple of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, house-museum of V. Vasnetsov and the museum-apartment of A. Vasnetsov, as well as the museum-workshop of A. Golubkina. Since 1995, the building of the merchant Tretyakov has housed a collection of exhibits dating back to the beginning of the last century. Works of the 20th century are exclusively in the building on Krymsky Val.

Now the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery includes over 55 thousand exhibits. There are not only paintings, but also icons, sculptures, works of arts and crafts. An excursion to the Tretyakov Gallery will be very interesting and will bring a lot of impressions.


1851

The main building of the Gallery is located in Lavrushinsky Lane, in Zamoskvorechye, a traditional merchant district of Moscow. The Tretyakov family bought this house at the end of 1851. In 1856, Pavel Mikhailovich acquired the first paintings, which laid the foundation for the famous collection. As the collection grew, rooms specially designed for works of art were added to the residential part of the mansion. However, the growth of the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery has constantly surpassed its exposition possibilities.


The construction of the first extension, adjacent to the southern wall of the house and turned towards the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, was carried out throughout 1873. In 1874 the Gallery opened to the public. In 1882, it became necessary to expand the exposition areas again at the expense of the territory of the garden that surrounded the house. Three new halls appeared upstairs and the same number downstairs, located at an angle to the old building of the Gallery, parallel to Maly Tolmachevsky Lane. The next addition was made in 1885. Thanks to her, three halls appeared on the top floor and five on the bottom. This made it possible to somewhat streamline the exposition that existed until then. The fourth extension was completed in 1892. Two large and one small halls were added on the upper floor, and three small ones below. The new halls exhibited mainly works from the late 1880s and works from the 1890s as they became available.

Facade of V.M.Vasnetsov

After the death of P.M. Tretyakov, in the rebuilt house where his family used to live, Pavel Mikhailovich’s library, a room for selling catalogs and photographs from the paintings of the Gallery, a wardrobe, an office and other services were placed on the ground floor. In May 1900, at a meeting of the Council of the Gallery in the presence of artists V.M. Vasnetsov, V.D. Polenov and a number of Moscow architects, the idea was expressed that the facade of the Gallery should be built in the “Russian style”. This work was entrusted to V.M. Vasnetsov. The construction of a new facade began in 1902 and was completed in 1904. The Vasnetsovsky facade became the emblem of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Sketch of the Gallery's façade in the "Russian style". V.M.Vasnetsov

On April 2, 1913, the Moscow City Duma elected Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, a prominent artist, architect and art historian, as a trustee of the Tretyakov Gallery. The main thing that marked the activity of Grabar was the reforms that turned the Tretyakov Gallery into a European-style museum with an exposition built on a chronological basis. In early December 1913, on the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the founder of the Gallery, the reformed museum was opened to the public.

On June 3, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree declaring the Tretyakov Gallery the state property of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic. From that moment the museum became known as the State Tretyakov Gallery. After nationalization, I. E. Grabar was appointed director of the Gallery. During the first years of Soviet power (1918–1922), the Gallery's collection increased by almost 50% due to numerous contributions from the State Museum Fund. In connection with the increase in funds, many exhibition halls were given over to storage for paintings.
By 1923, the exposition, which I.E. Grabar created with such inspiration, had changed a lot.


Exposition of the City Art Gallery P.M. and S.M. Tretyakov. 1898

Academician of architecture A.V. Shchusev, who became director in 1926, did a lot to expand the existing premises and add a new one.
In 1927, the Gallery received a neighboring house on Maly Tolmachevsky Lane (the former house of Sokolikov). After the restructuring in 1928, it turned into a service building, which housed the administration of the Gallery, scientific departments, a library, a department of manuscripts, graphics funds.

This building was attached to the Gallery with a special extension. In 1928, heating and ventilation were radically re-equipped. In 1929, the Gallery was electrified (before that it was open to visitors only during the daytime).

Storeroom in the building of the closed church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. 1932

The building of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, closed in 1929, was transferred to the Gallery in 1932 and became a repository of painting and sculpture. Later, it was connected to the exposition halls by a newly built two-story building, the top floor of which was specially designed to display A.A. Ivanov’s painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People (The Appearance of the Messiah)” (1837–1857). A passage was also built between the halls located on both sides of the main staircase, which ensured continuity of the view. As a result of these changes, the exposition area of ​​the museum has increased and work has begun on the creation of a new concept for the placement of works.

In 1936, the construction of a new two-story building on the north side of the main building was completed. Built according to the project of the architect A.V. Shchusev, skillfully correlated with the historical part and the Vasnetsovsky facade, the "Shchusevsky building" organically entered the panorama of Lavrushinsky Lane. Its spacious halls (four on the top floor and four on the bottom) were first used for exhibitions, and since 1940 have been included in the main exhibition route.

Gallery during the war

Bomb damage to the gallery building in August 1941

During the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) the Gallery was bombed. On the night of August 11-12, 1941, as a result of German air raids, two high-explosive bombs fell on the building. The glass covering on the roof was destroyed in several places. The interfloor ceiling of the upper hall No. 6 and the lower one No. 49 collapsed. The main entrance suffered. The floors in the basement wardrobe were smashed. The heating and ventilation systems failed. A few months later, on the night of November 12-13, 1941, another high-explosive bomb fell on the territory of the Gallery. A two-story residential building next door was destroyed. In 1942, the Gallery building began to be restored. By autumn, skylights and windows were glazed in 13 halls, the parquet was put in order, the walls were painted, the heating and ventilation were repaired. By 1944, out of 52 halls, 40 had been repaired, and the exhibits evacuated to Novosibirsk and Perm in 1941-1942 returned to their places.


Museum complex in Lavrushinsky Lane

In May 1956, the 100th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery was widely celebrated. In connection with this anniversary, in 1955-1957, the A.A. Ivanov Hall was completed. By this time, the collection included more than 35,000 works of art. By the mid-1980s, the increased number of visitors, excursions, and school circles could hardly fit in the halls of the museum. The need to expand the exposition area became a paramount task. Reconstruction of existing and construction of new buildings of the Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane is largely associated with the name of the director Yu.K.Korolev (1929–1992).

Korolev Yuri Konstantinovich 1980

Construction work began in 1983. Two years later, a depository was put into operation - a repository of works of art, where restoration workshops were also located. In 1986, the reconstruction of the main building of the Tretyakov Gallery began (architects I.M. Vinogradsky, G.V. Astafiev, B.A. Klimov and others), based on the idea of ​​preserving the historical appearance of the building. In 1989, a new building was built on the south side of the main building, which housed a conference hall, an information and computing center, a children's studio and exhibition halls. In them, in 1992-1994, an exhibition of masterpieces from the Gallery's collection was held. Most of the engineering systems and services were concentrated in the same building, so it was called the Corps of Engineers.


Construction of the Depositary. 1984

The principal feature of the reconstruction plan was the inclusion in the museum ensemble of the church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi (monument architecture XVII century) after its restoration and consecration. The temple was approved in the status of a house temple-museum at the Tretyakov Gallery. Construction in Lavrushinsky Lane took almost ten for long years: from 1985 to 1995.

Now the complex of buildings of the Tretyakov Gallery, located between Lavrushinsky and Maly Tolmachevsky lanes, is a favorite place not only for Muscovites, but also for many guests of the capital. People come here from various regions, regions and cities of the Russian Federation to see their favorite paintings, visit the temple and pray before the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir.