The New Tretyakov Gallery: Russian Art in the 20th Century
Follow the dramatic transformation of Russian art — from the revolutionary experiments of the avant-garde and Malevich’s Suprematism to Socialist Realism, unofficial Soviet art and the search for new artistic languages.
- Duration: ~2-3 hrs
- Distance: ~1km
- Type: museum tour with optional walk
- Theme: Russian Art & Modernity
The New Tretyakov Gallery offers an extraordinary journey through the transformation of Russian art in the twentieth century — from the radical experiments of the Russian Avant-Garde to Socialist Realism, the unofficial art of the Soviet era and the diverse artistic practices that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The collection brings together works by some of the artists who fundamentally changed the language of modern art, including Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Rodchenko, and Mark Chagall, alongside artists who responded to the new political and social realities of Soviet life. The later galleries introduce the very different artistic languages of the Soviet underground, with major figures such as Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov and Ernst Neizvestny, whose works reveal the possibilities of metaphor, irony, conceptualism and artistic dissent within and beyond the Soviet system.
A private guided tour places these works in their historical and cultural context, exploring how revolution transformed the role of the artist, how Socialist Realism became the official language of the Soviet state, and how artists continued to experiment, question and create beyond the boundaries of official culture. Along the way, the Gallery reveals a fascinating story of artistic ambition, political power, censorship, resistance and reinvention — making the New Tretyakov an essential introduction to the art and culture of twentieth-century Russia.
Duration: 2–3 hours
Extension: The experience can be extended with a private walking tour through the Museion Park.
A private guided tour places these works in their historical and cultural context, exploring how revolution transformed the role of the artist, how Socialist Realism became the official language of the Soviet state, and how artists continued to experiment, question and create beyond the boundaries of official culture. Along the way, the Gallery reveals a fascinating story of artistic ambition, political power, censorship, resistance and reinvention — making the New Tretyakov an essential introduction to the art and culture of twentieth-century Russia.
Duration: 2–3 hours
Extension: The experience can be extended with a private walking tour through the Museion Park.
Tour Flow & Highlights
The itinerary below is an example of a typical experience; the pace and emphasis are tailored to the interests of the guests.
Your guide will meet you near the entrance to the Gallery or at any other convenient location of your choice.
If requested, tprivate transfers can be arranged by metro, taxi, Mercedes Benz V-Class minivan or coach for groups.
Overview of the New Tretyakov Gallery Building, Soviet Modernism and the Concept of Museion Art Park
Tatlin and Rodchenko: Art Beyond the Canvas
Explore Vladimir Tatlin's Monument to the Third International and Alexander Rodchenko's Workers' Club.
The Russian Avant-Garde
Discover the radical experiments of Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Ilya Mashkov, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Aristarkh Lentulov and Vladimir Tatlin.
Abstract Art and Expressionism
Explore two very different paths towards modern art through Wassily Kandinsky's pioneering abstraction and Marc Chagall's dreamlike, Expressionist-influenced imagery.
Suprematism
Explore Kazimir Malevich's iconic Black Square and the radical search for a new abstract visual language, alongside works by Lyubov Popova and Ivan Klyun.
From Revolutionary Art to Socialist Realism
The Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia, the Society of Easel Painters and works by Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Gerasimov, Yuri Pimenov, Pyotr Williams.
Post-War Soviet Art
Explore the changing visual language of Soviet life through works by Alexander Deineka, Arkady Plastov and Tatiana Yablonskaya, and discover the emergence of the Austere Style in the post-Stalin era.
Unofficial Soviet Art
Explore alternative artistic languages, including Sots Art and Moscow Conceptualism, through the works of Mikhail Roginsky, Francisco Infante-Arana, Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov and Ernst Neizvestny.
Beyond the Gallery
End the tour with an optional walk through Gorky Park or along Krymskaya Embankment towards the Peter the Great Monument, GES-2 and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
Detailed Tour Description
The New Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val houses one of the most important collections of Russian art of the twentieth century. For international visitors, its particular appeal lies in the extraordinary range of artistic responses to a century of radical change: from the experiments of the Russian Avant-Garde and the invention of entirely new artistic languages to Socialist Realism, post-war Soviet painting, unofficial art and the diverse practices that emerged towards the end of the Soviet period and beyond.
The tour begins with the New Tretyakov Gallery building and its setting on Krymsky Val. The architecture, designed in the spirit of Soviet Modernism, provides an appropriate introduction to a collection concerned with the artistic culture of the twentieth century. We also look at the concept of the Museion Art Park, whose collection of sculpture and monuments provides an additional context for understanding the changing role of art in public space.
The tour begins with the New Tretyakov Gallery building and its setting on Krymsky Val. The architecture, designed in the spirit of Soviet Modernism, provides an appropriate introduction to a collection concerned with the artistic culture of the twentieth century. We also look at the concept of the Museion Art Park, whose collection of sculpture and monuments provides an additional context for understanding the changing role of art in public space.
View full tour description...
The Russian Avant-Garde: Reinventing Art
The first major chapter is the Russian Avant-Garde, one of the most influential and internationally significant movements in the history of modern art. We look at artists including Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Ilya Mashkov, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Aristarkh Lentulov and Vladimir Tatlin, following the extraordinary variety of experiments that transformed Russian painting in the years before and after the Revolution.
The works reveal artists absorbing influences from French Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism and other European movements while developing highly original approaches of their own. Goncharova and Larionov explored primitivism, folk traditions and new approaches to colour and form; Mashkov and Konchalovsky experimented with the possibilities of painting under the influence of European modernism; Lentulov transformed Moscow architecture and urban space into dynamic compositions of colour and geometric form; and Tatlin moved beyond painting towards a new understanding of art, materials and construction.
The collection's model of Vladimir Tatlin's Monument to the Third International offers an especially powerful illustration of this ambition. Conceived as a monumental structure combining architecture, sculpture and technology, the unrealised tower became one of the defining symbols of the Russian Avant-Garde. Alexander Rodchenko's Workers' Club, designed for the 1925 Paris Exhibition of Decorative Arts, takes this idea further into everyday life: art was no longer necessarily an object to be contemplated, but could become part of a new social and functional environment.
Kandinsky, Chagall and Suprematism
The story then moves towards increasingly radical experiments with new artistic languages. Wassily Kandinsky, one of the pioneers of abstract art, explored the idea that colour, line and form could communicate independently of recognisable subject matter. His Composition No. 6 is an exceptional example of this approach, transforming colour and dynamic forms into an almost musical visual experience.
Marc Chagall, one of the most distinctive representatives of Expressionism, developed a highly personal, dreamlike language rooted in memory, folklore and Jewish cultural traditions. His Lovers over the Town combines vivid colour, floating figures and an almost magical sense of space with the emotional intensity of Expressionism. Together, Kandinsky and Chagall demonstrate two very different paths towards modern art — Kandinsky towards abstraction and Chagall towards a poetic, deeply personal transformation of reality.
The most radical break comes with Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism. His iconic Black Square became one of the defining images of twentieth-century art and a symbol of the Avant-Garde's determination to rethink what painting could be. Alongside Malevich, works by Lyubov Popova and Ivan Klyun reveal different approaches to the same fundamental question: could art dispense with representation and create a completely new visual language based on colour, geometry and pure form?
From Revolutionary Art to Socialist Realism
The Revolution transformed the conditions in which artists worked. The extraordinary freedom and experimentation of the early Avant-Garde gradually gave way to an increasingly controlled artistic system in which art was expected to serve the ideological and educational aims of the Soviet state.
The transition can be followed through the artistic organisations that emerged in the 1920s, including the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia and the Society of Easel Painters, and through the eventual establishment of Socialist Realism as the official artistic doctrine. Artists such as Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Gerasimov, Yuri Pimenov and Pyotr Williams demonstrate the changing relationship between artistic ambition, political expectations and the representation of Soviet reality.
Socialist Realism is often approached simply as political propaganda, but the Gallery provides an opportunity to look more closely at how these works were constructed: their monumental compositions, carefully controlled narratives, idealised figures and visual codes. We can also consider what artists could communicate within an officially approved framework — and where the reality depicted in a painting might be more complex than its political message suggests.
Post-War Soviet Art
The post-war galleries reveal another transformation in the representation of Soviet life. Alexander Deineka, Arkady Plastov and Tatiana Yablonskaya, among others, offer very different visions of people, work, nature and everyday existence.
Arkady Plastov is particularly revealing. Works such as Haymaking and After the Bath were created within the official Soviet artistic system, yet their lyricism, attention to nature, colour and the physical presence of ordinary people create an intimate and deeply human vision of rural life. Looking closely at such paintings allows us to move beyond the simple opposition between “official art” and “propaganda” and to consider the ways in which artists could find space for personal observation and emotional expression within an ideological framework.
The later post-war period also saw the emergence of the Austere Style, associated with a younger generation of artists who developed a more restrained, monumental and psychologically charged visual language. Their approach reflected a changing Soviet society and a new generation's desire to move beyond the polished optimism of earlier official art.
Unofficial Soviet Art
The final decades of the Soviet period brought another dramatic shift. Alongside official art, artists working outside the state-controlled system developed alternative approaches to representation, often using irony, metaphor, quotation and conceptual strategies to examine Soviet reality.
The collection introduces works by artists including Mikhail Roginsky, Francisco Infante-Arana, Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov and Ernst Neizvestny. Their approaches were very different, but all demonstrate the search for artistic languages that could accommodate ambiguity, personal experience and critical reflection.
We can also look at Sots Art and Moscow Conceptualism, which appropriated and transformed familiar Soviet imagery, language and visual symbols. Rather than confronting ideology only through direct opposition, these artists often turned its own vocabulary into a subject of artistic investigation — revealing the absurdity, contradictions and psychological influence of the Soviet visual environment.
From Soviet Art to Contemporary Practice
The story continues into the late Soviet and post-Soviet periods, when the collapse of the Soviet system radically altered the conditions in which artists worked. Erik Bulatov, Ilya Kabakov, Mikhail Roginsky, Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, among others, represent very different approaches to conceptual and contemporary art, from the transformation of everyday Soviet imagery to installations, irony and critical engagement with the surrounding culture.
These works provide an opportunity to consider how Russian artists responded when the ideological system that had shaped so much of twentieth-century art disappeared. What happens to artistic language when the symbols of power lose their authority? How does an artist respond to a society undergoing such rapid political and cultural change? And how much of the visual culture of the Soviet period remains present in contemporary Russian art?
Beyond the Gallery
The New Tretyakov Gallery can be incorporated into a wider exploration of this part of Moscow. Depending on the interests and schedule of the guests, the experience can continue through Museion Art Park and Gorky Park, along Krymskaya Embankment towards the Peter the Great Monument, or further to GES-2 and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
The exact selection of works discussed during the tour is adapted to the interests of the guests and to the Gallery's current display. Temporary exhibitions, conservation and changes in the museum's exhibition plan may affect which works are accessible on the day of the visit.
Booking & Practical Information
The Tretyakov Gallery tour can be booked as a standalone experience or incorporated into a wider private sightseeing programme in Moscow. It can be arranged for individuals and small private parties as well as for larger groups, with the format and duration adapted to the requirements of the guests.
The tour price includes the services of an accredited guide, admission tickets for all participants, the required museum tour documentation and advance reservation services. Group pricing is available on request.
Guests interested in exploring the origins and development of Russian art, from medieval icons and imperial portraiture to the great masterpieces of nineteenth-century Realism and early twentieth-century Symbolism and Russian Impressionism, may wish to complement their visit with a private tour of the historic Tretyakov Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane, home to the Gallery's main collection of Russian art.
Opening hours of the New Tretyakov Gallery:
Monday — closed
Tuesday–Sunday — 10:00–21:00
Last entry — 20:00
The private tour usually lasts around 2 hours. On days when the Gallery closes at 21:00, the latest practical start time is 19:00.
Opening hours, admission arrangements and access to individual galleries may change; we recommend confirming the current schedule when booking.
The first major chapter is the Russian Avant-Garde, one of the most influential and internationally significant movements in the history of modern art. We look at artists including Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Ilya Mashkov, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Aristarkh Lentulov and Vladimir Tatlin, following the extraordinary variety of experiments that transformed Russian painting in the years before and after the Revolution.
The works reveal artists absorbing influences from French Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism and other European movements while developing highly original approaches of their own. Goncharova and Larionov explored primitivism, folk traditions and new approaches to colour and form; Mashkov and Konchalovsky experimented with the possibilities of painting under the influence of European modernism; Lentulov transformed Moscow architecture and urban space into dynamic compositions of colour and geometric form; and Tatlin moved beyond painting towards a new understanding of art, materials and construction.
The collection's model of Vladimir Tatlin's Monument to the Third International offers an especially powerful illustration of this ambition. Conceived as a monumental structure combining architecture, sculpture and technology, the unrealised tower became one of the defining symbols of the Russian Avant-Garde. Alexander Rodchenko's Workers' Club, designed for the 1925 Paris Exhibition of Decorative Arts, takes this idea further into everyday life: art was no longer necessarily an object to be contemplated, but could become part of a new social and functional environment.
Kandinsky, Chagall and Suprematism
The story then moves towards increasingly radical experiments with new artistic languages. Wassily Kandinsky, one of the pioneers of abstract art, explored the idea that colour, line and form could communicate independently of recognisable subject matter. His Composition No. 6 is an exceptional example of this approach, transforming colour and dynamic forms into an almost musical visual experience.
Marc Chagall, one of the most distinctive representatives of Expressionism, developed a highly personal, dreamlike language rooted in memory, folklore and Jewish cultural traditions. His Lovers over the Town combines vivid colour, floating figures and an almost magical sense of space with the emotional intensity of Expressionism. Together, Kandinsky and Chagall demonstrate two very different paths towards modern art — Kandinsky towards abstraction and Chagall towards a poetic, deeply personal transformation of reality.
The most radical break comes with Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism. His iconic Black Square became one of the defining images of twentieth-century art and a symbol of the Avant-Garde's determination to rethink what painting could be. Alongside Malevich, works by Lyubov Popova and Ivan Klyun reveal different approaches to the same fundamental question: could art dispense with representation and create a completely new visual language based on colour, geometry and pure form?
From Revolutionary Art to Socialist Realism
The Revolution transformed the conditions in which artists worked. The extraordinary freedom and experimentation of the early Avant-Garde gradually gave way to an increasingly controlled artistic system in which art was expected to serve the ideological and educational aims of the Soviet state.
The transition can be followed through the artistic organisations that emerged in the 1920s, including the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia and the Society of Easel Painters, and through the eventual establishment of Socialist Realism as the official artistic doctrine. Artists such as Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Gerasimov, Yuri Pimenov and Pyotr Williams demonstrate the changing relationship between artistic ambition, political expectations and the representation of Soviet reality.
Socialist Realism is often approached simply as political propaganda, but the Gallery provides an opportunity to look more closely at how these works were constructed: their monumental compositions, carefully controlled narratives, idealised figures and visual codes. We can also consider what artists could communicate within an officially approved framework — and where the reality depicted in a painting might be more complex than its political message suggests.
Post-War Soviet Art
The post-war galleries reveal another transformation in the representation of Soviet life. Alexander Deineka, Arkady Plastov and Tatiana Yablonskaya, among others, offer very different visions of people, work, nature and everyday existence.
Arkady Plastov is particularly revealing. Works such as Haymaking and After the Bath were created within the official Soviet artistic system, yet their lyricism, attention to nature, colour and the physical presence of ordinary people create an intimate and deeply human vision of rural life. Looking closely at such paintings allows us to move beyond the simple opposition between “official art” and “propaganda” and to consider the ways in which artists could find space for personal observation and emotional expression within an ideological framework.
The later post-war period also saw the emergence of the Austere Style, associated with a younger generation of artists who developed a more restrained, monumental and psychologically charged visual language. Their approach reflected a changing Soviet society and a new generation's desire to move beyond the polished optimism of earlier official art.
Unofficial Soviet Art
The final decades of the Soviet period brought another dramatic shift. Alongside official art, artists working outside the state-controlled system developed alternative approaches to representation, often using irony, metaphor, quotation and conceptual strategies to examine Soviet reality.
The collection introduces works by artists including Mikhail Roginsky, Francisco Infante-Arana, Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov and Ernst Neizvestny. Their approaches were very different, but all demonstrate the search for artistic languages that could accommodate ambiguity, personal experience and critical reflection.
We can also look at Sots Art and Moscow Conceptualism, which appropriated and transformed familiar Soviet imagery, language and visual symbols. Rather than confronting ideology only through direct opposition, these artists often turned its own vocabulary into a subject of artistic investigation — revealing the absurdity, contradictions and psychological influence of the Soviet visual environment.
From Soviet Art to Contemporary Practice
The story continues into the late Soviet and post-Soviet periods, when the collapse of the Soviet system radically altered the conditions in which artists worked. Erik Bulatov, Ilya Kabakov, Mikhail Roginsky, Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, among others, represent very different approaches to conceptual and contemporary art, from the transformation of everyday Soviet imagery to installations, irony and critical engagement with the surrounding culture.
These works provide an opportunity to consider how Russian artists responded when the ideological system that had shaped so much of twentieth-century art disappeared. What happens to artistic language when the symbols of power lose their authority? How does an artist respond to a society undergoing such rapid political and cultural change? And how much of the visual culture of the Soviet period remains present in contemporary Russian art?
Beyond the Gallery
The New Tretyakov Gallery can be incorporated into a wider exploration of this part of Moscow. Depending on the interests and schedule of the guests, the experience can continue through Museion Art Park and Gorky Park, along Krymskaya Embankment towards the Peter the Great Monument, or further to GES-2 and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
The exact selection of works discussed during the tour is adapted to the interests of the guests and to the Gallery's current display. Temporary exhibitions, conservation and changes in the museum's exhibition plan may affect which works are accessible on the day of the visit.
Booking & Practical Information
The Tretyakov Gallery tour can be booked as a standalone experience or incorporated into a wider private sightseeing programme in Moscow. It can be arranged for individuals and small private parties as well as for larger groups, with the format and duration adapted to the requirements of the guests.
The tour price includes the services of an accredited guide, admission tickets for all participants, the required museum tour documentation and advance reservation services. Group pricing is available on request.
Guests interested in exploring the origins and development of Russian art, from medieval icons and imperial portraiture to the great masterpieces of nineteenth-century Realism and early twentieth-century Symbolism and Russian Impressionism, may wish to complement their visit with a private tour of the historic Tretyakov Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane, home to the Gallery's main collection of Russian art.
Opening hours of the New Tretyakov Gallery:
Monday — closed
Tuesday–Sunday — 10:00–21:00
Last entry — 20:00
The private tour usually lasts around 2 hours. On days when the Gallery closes at 21:00, the latest practical start time is 19:00.
Opening hours, admission arrangements and access to individual galleries may change; we recommend confirming the current schedule when booking.
Our approach
The New Tretyakov Gallery is not simply a collection of masterpieces. It is an opportunity to understand how artists responded to a century of radical change — and to learn how to see and understand the art itself.
Context That Makes Sense of Change
We place the art within the political, social and cultural transformations of twentieth-century Russia, helping explain why radically different artistic languages emerged.
A Story Rather Than a Catalogue
We follow the evolution of Russian art through connected chapters rather than simply moving from one famous artist to another, making the relationships between movements and generations clear.
Learn to See and Understand the Art
We look beyond the subject to explore how a work is created and how its visual language produces meaning — from composition, colour and geometry to technique and materials, an approach that is particularly important when encountering the radical experiments of the Avant-Garde.
Shaped Around Your Interests
The pace, selection of works and depth of discussion are adapted to the guests. Rather than following a fixed script, we explore the collection together, following the questions and connections that make the experience most meaningful to you.
Contact us directly for a tailored quote, or use the Quick Price & Request Form below for an immediate estimate.
Each request is reviewed personally before final confirmation.
Each request is reviewed personally before final confirmation.
Julia Schelkunova
Founder, Expert Guide for Curated Moscow Tours
Quick Request & Price Estimate
Use this form to calculate an estimated total based on the number of participants and submit a request for your preferred date and time, or contact us directly to discuss the details.
This form sends a request, not an automatic booking. We will confirm availability and final details with you personally. Please note that by pressing the button, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Practical Information
The New Tretyakov Gallery is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–21:00, with last entry at 20:00. The Gallery is closed on Mondays. Opening hours and access to individual exhibitions may change, so the current schedule is confirmed when arranging the visit
The New Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, with the Russian Avant-Garde, Soviet art, unofficial Soviet art and contemporary movements forming the core of its collection. The historic Tretyakov Gallery on Lavrushinsky Lane traces the development of Russian art from medieval icons through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to Symbolism and Russian Impressionism of the early twentieth century.
The New Tretyakov Gallery is open from 10:00 to 21:00 Tuesday–Sunday, with last entry at 20:00. A private tour can therefore be arranged at a time that suits the guests, although we recommend allowing sufficient time for a relaxed visit rather than scheduling the tour too close to closing.
The guide can meet guests in front of the New Tretyakov Gallery, on the Museion Art Park side, or at another convenient location. The experience can end at the Gallery or continue as a walking extension according to the guests' onward plans. We suggest a walk thourgh the Museion Art Park towards the Monument to Peter the Great and Red October Chocolate Factory District, or, alternatively, you may choose to explore the Gorky Part.
A typical private tour lasts around 2–3 hours. The experience can be extended for guests who would like a more in-depth exploration, with the total duration of the Gallery visit and any selected walking experience kept within 4 hours.
Yes. Amateur photography without flash is permitted in the permanent exhibition. Photography rules may differ for temporary exhibitions.
Yes. The New Tretyakov is particularly well suited to a wider programme in this part of Moscow. The visit can be combined with a guided walk through the Museion Art Park, Gorky Park or along Krymskaya Embankment, with the route continuing towards the Peter the Great Monument, GES-2 or Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
Admission to the Gallery is tied to the scheduled entry time in order to manage visitor flow and avoid overcrowding in the exhibition rooms. Late arrival of more than 45 minutes after the scheduled start may result in denied entry, and tickets are non-refundable in such cases. We therefore recommend allowing sufficient time for travel and arrival at the Gallery.
Yes. The tour can be adapted to allow a more in-depth exploration of a particular period, movement or group of artists — for example, the Russian Avant-Garde and Suprematism, Socialist Realism, post-war Soviet art or unofficial Soviet art. The selection of works and pace of the visit can be adjusted accordingly.
Explore selected highlights from this tour in our recent Instagram post.