Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg - Exhibition - Walking Tour in Russia
Channel: IVAR MALDEIKIS
Date: 22/03/2023

On the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg, opposite the famous Egyptian sphinxes, you will see a three-story long building. This is the Academy of Arts, founded under Elizaveta Petrovna and which became the cradle of Russian fine arts.

Talented portrait painters Fyodor Rokotov and Orest Kiprensky, the founder of the Russian landscape school Semyon Shchedrin and the ideologist of a whole generation of realist painters Ivan Kramskoy, the master of historical subjects Vasily Surikov and famous painters Vasily Tropinin, Mikhail Vrubel and Valentin Serov studied here.

Among the outstanding teachers of the Academy of Arts are Vladimir Makovsky and Ivan Shishkin, Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ilya Repin.

The idea of creating the Academy of Arts was expressed by Peter the Great at the end of the 17th century, when there was no St. Petersburg yet, and there was a swamp on the site of the current Academy. The emperor's proposal was implemented only in the second half of the 18th century thanks to the proposal of Mikhail Lomonosov and Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, a favorite of Elizabeth Petrovna, a well-known philanthropist and enlightener.

The Academy of Fine Arts was established by decree of the Senate in 1757. In the early years, she was listed at Moscow University and had an extremely meager budget. Ivan Shuvalov became the first President of the Academy. Classes in painting, sculpture and architecture were held in his mansion.

Moreover, the Count used his own money to invite the best teachers from Europe, and gave his own collection of books and paintings to the Academy and thus laid the foundation for the creation of the first art museum in Russia.

Catherine II granted the Academy the status of an Imperial Academy and, on her orders, the construction of a building on Vasilyevsky Island began. The project, developed by Jean Baptiste Michel Vallin-Delamote and Alexander Kokorinov, was approved by the Empress in 1764. A year later, a ceremonial laying of the building took place.

The majestic building was one of the first buildings created in the style of classicism. The construction and interior decoration were completed in 1788.

During the XVIII-XIX centuries, the design of the Academy of Arts was carried out by its students, Russian painters and sculptors. They were decorated, including the ceremonial interiors, where in our time the Museum of the Academy of Arts is located. In particular, the design of the House Church of the Academy, the Raphael and Titian halls was carried out under the guidance of the famous architect Konstantin Ton.

The front facade of the building is decorated with a portico, between the columns of which you will see sculptures of Hercules and the goddess of flowers Flora (these are copies of ancient statues).

The building is interesting because it has an absolutely round courtyard with a diameter of 55 meters, the existence of which few people will guess when looking at the facade. Four doors lead from the lobby to the courtyard, above which the main creative areas of the school's activities are indicated: "Painting". "Sculpture", "Architecture" and "Education".

Note that it is not so easy to freely enter the courtyard, the watchman will stop you. At the same time, entrance to the museum at the Academy of Arts is possible if you purchase a ticket or visit it for free on the Night of Museums:

The Museum at the Academy of Arts is open daily, except Monday and Tuesday (Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 to 20:00, Thursday and Sunday - from 11:00 to 19:00, Saturday - from 11:00 to 20:00 , entrance is paid, there are benefits)
In recent years, the museum has been participating in the Night of Museums campaign. During this action, you have a unique opportunity to see not only museum exhibits (architectural collections, collections of paintings, sculptures and graphics), but also a round courtyard. As a rule, the museum presents an interesting program dedicated to Museum Day. In addition, the museum is not at all obliged to take part in this action and whether it will participate in it in the future is unknown.
Source: https://www.spb-guide.ru/akademiya-hudozhestv.htm
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