The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the significant art galleries in Moscow. It is also the largest art gallery in Russia. This gallery is one of the places that if you have enough time during your Moscow tour, you should visit it. However, Moscow has lots of major attractions that you should visit first, especially if you’re going to visit other tourist destination cities during your Russia tour. Still, if you want to visit this gallery and see all of its exhibits, you may need a lot more time, especially since Tretyakov Gallery has more than 170 thousand exhibits. We at the Star Travel Group recommend reading this article about the top masterpieces inside the Tretyakov Gallery, so you would wrap up your visit of this museum in less than one hour, and still see the major attractions inside this museum on your tour to Moscow.
The Trinity - Andrei Rublev
The icon of Trinity is probably the most significant artwork that you should see when you visit this gallery on your tour to Russia. This icon is one of two paintings that scholars can undoubtedly be attributed to Rublev. Andrei Rublev painted this icon sometime between 1408 to 1425. However, no study has ever suggested that Rublev had painted this icon other than in the first quarter of the 15th century. The Trinity, or The Hospitality of Abraham, is the most famous work of Rublev. This religious artwork depicts the meeting of Abraham with three angels at the Oak of Mamre. You can find this significant icon in the 60th hall of the Tretyakov Gallery when visiting it during your travel to Moscow.
The Girl With Peaches - Valentin Serov
Another painting that you shouldn’t miss the chance to see on your tour to Moscow is the famous Girl with Peaches by the prominent Russian painter Valentin Serov. Although Serov was a portrait artist, many Russian rulers had posed for him as well as contemporary artists, writers, imperial family members, and well-known figures of Russia, his most famous painting is of an ordinary 12-year-old girl with some peaches in front of her. The girl in this picture is Vera Mamontova, daughter of Savva Mamontov, one of the influential figures and art patrons in Russia. You can find this painting on the 41st hall of the 1st floor in the Tretyakov Gallery when visiting it during your Russia tour.
The Demon Seated - Mikhail Vrubel
The Demon Seated is one of the Mikhail Vrubel’s masterpieces that you should visit on your tour to Moscow. The Tretyakov Gallery has dedicated an entire hall (33rd on the second floor) to this well-known painter. However, The Demon Seated is the most famous piece that you can find in this hall from Vrubel. The mesmerizing scene of this painting is taken from one of the Mikhail Lermontov’s poems. The mixed feelings that this painting gives the visitors make it one of the masterpieces that everyone should see when they visit Tretyakov Gallery during their Moscow Tour.
The Ivan the Terrible Killing His Son - Ilya Repin
Although the most famous masterpieces of Ilya Repin are currently hanging on the State Russian Museum walls, you can still find several excellent works from this renowned artist in Tretyakov Gallery, such as Ivan the Terrible Killing His Son. Repin’s painting is called one of the most controversial ones in Russian art. The Ivan the Terrible Killing His Son is one of Repin’s masterpieces that you can see in this gallery during your travel to Russia. He sold this painting to Pavel Tretyakov after it was finished to display it in his gallery. It’s currently hanging on the wall of the 30th hall on the second floor.
The Morning in a Pine Forest - Ivan Shishkin
Although the Morning in a Pine Forest was a collaboration work from Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky, the credit of this masterpiece all goes to Ivan Shishkin, according to the collector, Pavel Tretyakov. The Morning in a Pine Forest is one of the famous paintings in Russia, and it is on the 25th hall of Tretyakov Gallery, which you can visit during your tour to Russia.
The Rainbow - Ivan Aivazovsky
Ivan Aivazovsky was one of the most prominent marine painters, who most of his work had a touch of romanticism. Aivazovsky mostly depicted storms, shipwrecks, tempests, or anything related to the sea. His masterpieces have been auctioned in most of the major auctions in London. Although his most famous painting, The Ninth Wave, is currently at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, you can find another masterpiece on the 19th hall of the Tretyakov Gallery during your tour to Russia. The Rainbow is the name of Aivazovsky’s painting that is attached to the wall of this gallery.
The Princess Tarakanova - Konstantin Flavitsky
One of the emotional paintings inside the Tretyakov Gallery is Konstantin Flavitsky’s Princess Tarakanova. Although there’s a real and tragic story behind this painting, the image that Flavitsky had depicted is fictional. This painting tells the story of Princess Tarakanova. She was in prison for falsely pretending to be Empress Elizabeth’s daughter and her tragic death when a flood was inundating the prison. There was an unknown girl in prison for the same reason, but she died because of tuberculosis after only ten months of incarceration. However, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get emotional over this masterpiece of Flavitsky, who amazedly depicted the despair in the girl’s face after realizing no one is coming to save her. You can find this beautiful painting in the 16th hall on the second floor during your tour to Moscow.
The Appearance of Christ Before the People - Alexander Ivanov
The Appearance of Christ Before the People is the magnum opus of Alexander Ivanov, which took twenty years to complete it. Pavel Tretyakov was only able to purchase the sketch of his work during his time, and Emperor Alexander II purchased the original painting. However, this magnificent painting was moved to the gallery in the 20th century. You can find this massive painting on the 10th hall on the second floor. You must take your time in front of this painting if you visit it during your tour to Russia and enjoy every little detail on it because no matter how much you spend in front of it, there is still more detail that you have missed.
If you have already visited Tretyakov Gallery on your tour to Moscow, we recommend visiting the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Art, another large art gallery in Moscow. You can learn about this museum and other attractions of Moscow on our weblog.
