Mysteries of the Tretyakov Gallery: What secrets do the canvases of Kramskoy and Vrubel hide

The unique collection of the museum has more than 180 thousand works of Russian art of different eras and styles. And every masterpiece of the Tretyakov Gallery has its own story, the study of which looks like an exciting detective story. However, the detectives also did not pass over the paintings from the museum. What role did Italian policemen play in the life of the gallery, why did Ivan Kramskoy cut into pieces the last lifetime portrait of Nikolai Nekrasov, and how was Vrubel’s lost work forever found?

Theft in Genoa

In 1991, the exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery “Russian Art of the Epoch of Alexander II” was exhibited in Genoa. The exhibition was popular, according to information from the gallery, it was visited in three months by as many spectators as it did not visit the museum in a year. Continue reading →