ABOUT DR. SONKINA  |  ITINERARIES | RUSSIAN JOURNEY: THE HIGHLIGHTS  |  UPCOMING TOURS

From Hermitage, to a less frequented Russian Museum.

Like the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Russian Museum contains one of the finest collections of Russian art in the world. Both museums provide outstanding coverage of the entire history of Russian art. However, while the Tretyakov knows no peers for its collection of icons, the Russian Museum’s international supremacy is based on its extensive collection of late 19th and early 20th century Russian works. Of particular interest are the ground floor, which covers the nineteenth century, and the Benois wing, which contains the museum’s unparalleled collection of twentieth century works.

Here are some early Malevitches as well as Kandinskies.

Catherine the Great Summer Palace echoes in its opulence the Winter Palace. Among its many wonders, a restored amber room is particularly striking. Pieces of Baltic amber of all hues and shapes cover its walls imbuing space with transcendent light. The original room has been removed by the Germans during the Second World War, never to be found again.

Peterhoff, Peter’s summer residence, with its amazing cascade of fountains was yet another demonstration of regal opulence. Gilded baroque excesses and the craftsmanship that went into it is nothing short of stunning. The shards of it made its way into souvenir shops as a tourist bait:

Glass replicas of Faberge eggs is one such example.

Kremlin with its Armory and Special Diamond Collection was another display of the Imperial Russia dazzling riches. Why did Commissars keep all this abundance instead of destroying it, a common impulse of all revolutions? This is the question I was asked on several occasions. I think royal palaces had a special place in Lenin’s ideology. They served as a kind of an educational tool. “Look at the fortunes the filthy rich had built on your sweat and blood! That’s why we had a revolution in the first place. Now it’s all yours. We took it away from the rich to give the poor.” In the ironic ‘turning around’ of history, the modern Russian leaders are now emulating the life styles of the tzars. But more about it later.