A quick note before we begin: we’ll be using Google’s brilliant Arts and Culture project as a means to tour the galleries and museums in this list and our guide would be incomplete, if we don’t duly inform you the website also provides access to thousands of museums in Russia and all over the world. In our list, we wanted to draw your attention to some of them you might have overlooked otherwise.
Museum of Fine Arts of Tatarstan, Kazan
Kazan is known to be a city where different cultures and traditions blend and coexist, creating a unique identity of a place located in the intersection of two civilizations. Though it is most noticeable in the city’s architecture, the collection of Kazan’s Museum of Fine Arts cannot but reflect this atmosphere. Here, you will be able to find not only works by world-renowned artists like Repin, Shiskin or Kandinsky, but will also have an opportunity to get to know some of Tatarstan’s own creators pondering on the region’s landscape and traditions.
Stenograffia Street Art Festival, Yekaterinburg
Stenograffia is a project originating in Yekaterinburg and aiming to establish communication between the inhabitants of big cities and their surroundings by means of colorful graffiti paintings of talented street artists. Here, the visitors have a chance to see the many original pieces located in several cities that have joined the project over ten years of its existence, as well as video-reports of some of the experiments run by the Yekaterinburg creative lab.
Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts named after P. S. Gamzatova, Makhachkala
Although it is a relatively young museum, only established in 1958, Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts boasts a collection of 14,000 exhibits, including some works of Serov, Vasnetsov and Aivazovsky, as well as a number of creations of Western European artists. Also in the funds are some archeological findings together with the region’s traditional jewelry, ceramics and draperies. All in all, a virtual tour of this museum is a great opportunity to get to know this extraordinary Russian location.
Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, Kaluga
Space exploration is always a romantic topic to ponder, but it gets even more so, if possible, when you are confined to the walls of your own apartment. The Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics transports you some 60 years back in time, allowing you to peek into the very beginning of what is now one of the world’s largest research projects – the International Space Station. The many black and white photos in the online exhibition are enough to envision the intricacies of this grand endeavor, and, who knows, maybe inspire you to write the world’s next best-selling sci-fi novel in your temporary exile.
The National Art Museum of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk
Yet another opportunity to experience one of Russia’s many diverse regions on our list, this museum’s exhibits are your chance to see Yakutia through the eyes of a local. The landscapes and ornaments, portraits and figurines all combine to make you look deeper than the common stereotypes into the very essence of this Eastern Russian republic full of contrasts and wonders.
