Museums of Russia: The State Tretyakov Gallery launches the joint project with the National Portrait Gallery in London

The International inter-museum project dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the two galleries - the Tretyakov (Moscow) and the National Portrait (London) - will be launched in 2016 - these museums will exchange their exposures.

The British in mid-March start to get acquainted with the Russian portrait painting (1867-1914), and Muscovites in the Tretyakov Gallery will see British portraiture. The expositions will run until mid-summer. In the two capitals in parallel with the exhibition will be held meetings with prominent cultural figures of the two countries.

The exhibition "From Elizabeth to Victoria" in the State Tretyakov Gallery will start on April 23. From the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London to Moscow will be delivered 49 paintings of prominent Britons, including portraits of Elizabeth the First and Queen Victoria, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.  

From the State Tretyakov Gallery 26 canvases went to London, including works by Ilya Repin, Konstantin Korovin, Mikhail Vrubel, Valentin Serov. In London the portraits of famous Russian writers will be shown, as well as composers and patrons.

Project-peer museums complement the cross-training program. "It will include 10-12 lectures with the participation of the UK's leading experts, including well-known writers, journalists, TV presenters, scientists and researchers", - commented the Deputy Director of the British Council Project Management Tatiana Ilyina. 

The exhibition in London will be open on March 17.