Moscow Guide
The Beliy Gorod
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Website: www.museum.ru/gmii/defengl.htm
Opening time: Tues– Sun 10am–7pm, Thurs open til 9pm
Price: R300
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts boasts everything from Greek antiquities to Picasso and has far more in its storerooms than can ever be displayed, despite the rotation of pictures in the rooms devoted to nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings, and temporary exhibitions on the upper level of the Zholtovsky Staircase of anything from engravings by Kathe Kollwitz to contemporary European art. Besides the constraints imposed by lack of space, politics have also played a part, as in the decades when abstract works were ideologically taboo. Not until the mid-1990s did the museum reveal much of the "trophy art" that was seized from the Nazis in 1945 and hidden for decades afterwards, such as the Treasure of Troy.
Although the majority of paintings are labelled in English (or French) as well as Russian, there aren't many explanatory captions, so anyone wishing to learn something about the artworks should sign up for the weekly two-hour guided tour in English (R600 per person plus admission charge) run by Patriarshy Dom Tours, or rent an audioguide (R250 plus ID as a deposit) in the museum basement, where the cloakrooms, toilets and a café (reserved for staff from 1–2pm) are located. Photography is allowed except in rooms 7 and 1.
The museum hosts annual concerts of classical music, known as the December Evenings.