Bakhrushinsky Museum on Paveletskaya: exhibitions, reviews, photos

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The Bakhrushin Museum on Paveletskaya (GTsTM) is considered one of the largest cultural institutions of its kind in the world. In addition to the main building, it has nine branches, most of which are of great interest in themselves and are annually visited by tens of thousands of tourists from all over Russia and from other countries.

Aleksey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin: a brief biographical sketch

The future founder of the GTsTM was born in 1865 in a we althy merchant family, all members of which loved and understood art. His grandfather and father were known as generous patrons and avid theatergoers. They also passed on their love for the performing arts to little Alyosha, who regularly attended the Bolshoi Theater from the age of 6. After graduating from a private gymnasium, A. Bakhrushin joined the family business, but after some time he retired and devoted himself entirely to collecting. The death of his elder brother forced the philanthropist to stand at the head of the Association of Leather and Cloth Manufactory, created by his father, and for outstanding achievements in his entrepreneurial activity, herepeatedly received high government awards. In parallel with this, Bakhrushin, like other members of his family, was actively involved in charity work and was appointed head of 12 People's Houses - the prototypes of the Houses of Culture of the Soviet period.

Collecting activity

As already mentioned, Alexei Alexandrovich Bakhrushin was interested in theater from a very young age. Initially, he was engaged in collecting "oriental rarities". However, one day, in the company of young people, the collector heard from his cousin that he had profitably purchased old posters and theater souvenirs from antiquarians. This information interested the young entrepreneur, and he began to devote all his free time to collecting personal items and items related to famous actors and actresses. Very soon the collection became so extensive that in 1894 Bakhrushin decided to present it to the general public.

Private museum

The new cultural institution dedicated to the history of the Russian theater quickly gained fame, and in 1905 even took part in the Berlin exhibition. There the museum was a huge success and received laudatory reviews in the European press. During this period, Bakhrushin managed to bring to Russia the personal belongings of the world-famous actress Mars, the rarest musical instruments made by ancient masters, as well as a collection of traditional masks from the Italian comedy theater. In 1913, the Bakhrushinsky Museum was transferred by its founder to the Imperial Academy of Sciences and became known as the Theater and Literary Museum.

History of the GTSTM in the Soviet period

After the revolution, the museum was saved. Moreover, at the insistence of V. I. Lenin, A. A. Bakhrushin himself stood at its helm. Although the philanthropist lost his capital and almost all movable and immovable property, he retained contacts with antique dealers and theatrical figures around the world and did a lot to keep the process of replenishing the GTsTM collection. In addition, Bakhrushin was able to secure the transfer of many valuable exhibits from nationalized private collections to the museum. Thus, he made a huge contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Russian Empire for future generations.

After the death of A. A. Bakhrushin in 1929, a close-knit team of like-minded people created by him continued his work, and by 1990 his collection already included about one million objects of art, personal belongings of actors, documents, photographs and rare domestic and foreign publications. Despite the fact that the next decade was a rather difficult time, the GTsTM withstood all the tests of the post-perestroika period.

Museum Today

At the moment, the GTsTM has in its funds more than 1.5 million exhibits, including many rarities that are truly unique and of great historical and cultural value. A significant part of them was purchased at auctions held in European capitals, or presented by the descendants of famous artists. Thanks to this, the Bakhrushinsky Theater Museum is today considered one of the largest in the world, and storedthere sketches of scenery made by famous Russian artists, stage costumes of outstanding actors, their photographs and portraits, rare editions, programs and posters of performances and much more attract theater lovers and researchers from different countries.

The collection features “theatrical” works by Golovin, Bakst, Kustodiev, Yuon, Dobuzhinsky, Korovin, Exter, Roerich, Tatlin, Popova, Rodchenko and other famous masters.

The permanent exhibition of the GTsTM occupies several halls and begins in the lobby - one of the few rooms where the original interior of the late 19th - early 20th century has been preserved. There, in two large showcases, objects belonging to the former owners of the mansion, the Bakhrushins, are exhibited. Among the most valuable exhibits, one can note a watercolor sketch of the house by the architect K. Gippius, photographs by A. A. Bakhrushin, a newspaper clipping with an article dating back to 1913 about a donation to the museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. There, in the lobby, you can see the colorful stained-glass windows in the Gothic style. Of great interest is the tour of the office of A. A. Bakhrushin, where some personal belongings of the patron and members of his family are presented.

Bakhrushinsky Museum: exhibitions and creative evenings

Today, only a small part of the extensive collection of the GTsTM is presented in the permanent exhibition. So that the viewer can get acquainted with the rest, no less interesting exhibits, the Bakhrushinsky Museum regularly arranges exhibitions, and also takes part in various events,organized in other cities of our country and abroad. In particular, on June 12, a project was launched dedicated to theatrical costumes created in the period from 1990 to the present day, and a few days earlier, an exhibition was opened in the building of the museum fund storage at the address: Tverskoy Boulevard, 11, building 2, where one could see the evolution theater poster over the past two centuries.

Most Valuable Collections

The Bakhrushinsky Museum is proud of its collections of theatrical and decorative art (late 18th - late 20th century) and handwritten materials dedicated to the history of Russian theater of the same period. Its funds also contain the archives of the Bakhrushins, S. I. Zimin, Kshesinsky, Mamontovs, M. I. Petipa, T. L. Sun. Meyerhold.

The museum is always ready to provide all possible assistance to researchers. In particular, those who study the history of art can use the information stored in its collections. To do this, you must write an official letter addressed to the head of the museum and indicate the direction of your search and their purpose. Also, for a fee, you can order the re-shooting of museum exhibits.

Branches

The exhibition areas of the Bakhrushinsky Museum are not limited to the main building, designed by the architect Karl Gippius in 1896. As already mentioned, it has nine branches, including the museum houses of Shchepkin, Yermolova, Ostrovsky, as well as the museum apartments of Meyerhold, the familyMironovs and Menaker, Ulanova, Pluchek and others.

Reviews

The Museum of Bakhrushin A. A. is a place that is definitely worth a visit. This is confirmed by numerous reviews. In particular, those who have already visited the museum note that they were amazed by the incredible combination of modern interior and Gothic elements. The visitors were satisfied with the way the guides presented information about the Bakhrushins family and the history of the Russian theater. Especially a lot of positive feedback can be heard about the staff who run the program for children, consisting of a tour and an interactive performance.

As for negative impressions, most of all criticism is caused by the hostile attitude of the museum curators towards visitors, who make rude remarks and rush them, not allowing them to calmly examine the exhibits of interest.

Bakhrushinsky Museum: how to get there

Address of the institution: Moscow, Bakhrushina street, 31/12. The main building is located near the Paveletskaya metro station, on the circle line, so it is easy to get to from any part of the capital. For example, tram number 39 follows from Leninsky Prospekt, bus number 25 from Serpukhovskaya metro station, and bus number 158 from Kitai-Gorod station.

Festival

The Bakhrushin Museum, the photo of which is presented above, is not limited only to the demonstration of rarities. In particular, since 2002, he has been organizing the Charity Festival, which has already becometraditional. Usually it takes place in the second half of May - in the first week of June in one of the cities, in some way connected with the names of famous Russian patrons of the past centuries. The purpose of the festival is to revive the traditions of Russian charity, including in the outback.

Opening hours, tours and ticket prices

The Bakhrushin Museum is open from 12:00 to 19:00 on all days of the week except Mondays. The last Friday of each month is also a day off (sanitary). During the summer, the museum is also closed on Tuesdays.

Free visits are possible on March 18 and 27, as well as April 18, as these dates coincide with the celebration of the Day of Museums, Theater and Monument Protection. The rest of the time, a full entrance ticket costs 200 rubles. There are also preferential ones, which will cost 100 rubles for schoolchildren and pensioners. To enter the museum, shoe covers worth 10 rubles should be purchased. It is possible to order excursions for both large groups and families for 2-5 people.

Now you know what the Bakhrushin Museum is famous for (address: Bakhrushina St., 31/12), what exhibitions are organized there and how to get there from different districts of the capital.