History of Russia: Permanent exposition “Faces of Russia. Portrait Gallery of the Russian Museum” is open in Saint-Petersburg

Permanent exposition “Faces of Russia. Portrait Gallery of the Russian Museum” opens on November 29, 2012 at the Mikhailovsky Castle (Saint-Petersburg). It is designed to become a part of an ambitious project on establishment in Russia the National Portrait Gallery, which, due to opportunities of the Internet, will be continued in the virtual space.

At the end of May 2012 a part of a permanent exhibition, dedicated to the ceremonial portraits of Russian rulers and members of Imperial family from Ivan the Terrible to Nicholas II was opened. Now this section will be completed with allegorical and group portraits, as well as children’s portraits, executed mainly in the XVIII century. Another section of the constant exposition is created by the revolution images representatives of aristocratic families who made significant contributions to the history of Russia, as well as images of merchants and clergy, and the commoners of architects, artists, musicians and writers. Special room will be dedicated to those in the photos and video footage. The final section introduces the portraits of Soviet times - the images of leaders, peasants, workers, servicemen, intellectuals.

The exhibition, which is housed in the halls of the Mikhailovsky Castle, is designed to provide a kind of family tree, as well as identify the plot and thematic structure of the domestic portrait and the logic of its development – from antiquity to the present day.