The State Russian Museum, formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, is the largest depository of the Russian fine art in St Petersburg.

The museum was established on April 13, 1895, upon enthronement of Nicholas II to commemorate his father, Alexander III. Its original collection was composed of artworks taken from the Hermitage Museum, Alexander Palace, and the Imperial Academy of Arts. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, many private collections were nationalized and relocated to the Russian Museum. These included the first and most precious version of Kazimir Malevich's Black Square.

The main building of the museum is the Mikhailovsky Palace, a splendid Neoclassical residence of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich , erected in 1819-25 to a design by Carlo Rossi on the Square of Arts in St Petersburg. Some of the halls retain the Italianate opulent interiors of the former imperial residence. Other buildings assigned to the Russian museum include the Summer House of Peter I (1710-14), the Marble Palace of Count Orlov (1768-85), St Michael's Castle of Emperor Paul (1797-1801), and the Rastrelliesque Stroganov Palace on the Nevsky Prospect (1752-54).

External link

Official site of the Russian Museum