The founder and director of the gallery, created on his own initiative and on a charitable basis, is the president of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli. He is known for being appointed as the chief artist in the construction of the resort complex in Pitsunda. Later, Zurab was repeatedly invited to create mosaic works in Georgia, took part in the design of the famous "Borjomi" sanatorium, created sculptures for the Victory Park in Tbilisi. It is also known that he worked on the monumental complex in Adler, where he successfully applied his own methods of working with metal. ZK Tsereteli was awarded a huge number of well-deserved awards and titles. Thanks to the created masterpieces, he became famous not only in Russia, but also abroad.
History
The creation of the gallery began with the artist's own collection. It collected more than 2000 unique works of creative personalities of the 20th century. Later, it increased significantly, due to the purchased paintings at the own expense of the director of the gallery or donated to Zurab Konstantinovich by the creators themselves. The art gallery is located in a beautiful mansion, an architectural monument of the 18th century in the former House of the Dolgoruky princes. Throughout its complicated history, the palace has been constantly changing, rebuilding and supplementing with various premises. Its owners were constantly replacing one another.
In 1865, the building became the property of the Mariinsky School. Years later, the palace fell into disrepair and was rebuilt into small rooms. There was a loss of many decorative elements. In 2000, the building was restored under the leadership of Zurab Konstantinovich and its former splendor shone again. At the moment, the mansion combines old and newest forms. Its spacious halls, as if from the very beginning of their history, were intended for various creative exhibitions. A new exhibition hall was opened here, which housed the art gallery of Zurab Tsereteli.
What to see
The museum and exhibition complex presents a huge variety of works of the famous sculpture, monumentalist and artist Z. Tsereteli. The exhibition presents works created by his hand in different years of the artist's activity. The collection includes:
- graphics
- painting
- miniatures
- easel and monumental sculpture
- panel on enamel
- decorative and applied art
- various design ideas
In the halls of the gallery, a collection of casts of works of ancient culture is permanently exhibited. There are various exhibitions dedicated to the famous classics of such a genre as the Russian avant-garde. There is also a unique collection of works by the Georgian primitivist artist Nino Pirosmani. There is an exhibition dedicated to non-conformist artists who worked fruitfully in the 60-80s of the 20th century. They worked underground for their time and gained great fame in other countries. And now their names are known throughout Russia. The wealth of the gallery is constantly replenished with the works of talented and extraordinary contemporary artists, such as:
- Oleg Kulik
- Andrey Bartenev
- Dmitry Prigov
- Victor Pivovarov
- Alexander Brodsky
In the museum you can admire various sculptures of heroes of famous literary works and films. They seemed to come to life and disappear from the pages of books or from the screen. Also here you can find sculptural copies of famous world politicians and personalities. The halls of the complex showcase works of creativity filled with deep philosophical meaning and wisdom. The gallery complex constantly organizes large-scale international and Russian exhibitions, which are dedicated to all types of art, architectural and design work.
Visitors can see here the completed work for the diploma of graduates of various art institutes and schools. Constantly exhibiting their works, while unknown to anyone, young artists, hoping that someone will appreciate their talent. Workers constantly bring to the public display works of modern art and creations of other eras. Also in the museum complex you can contemplate works that are in private collections.
Various thematic festivals are constantly held in the halls. Tsereteli repeatedly, himself personally, arranges various master classes, during which he shares the acquired experience and secrets of his skill with young creative personalities. Also in the building of the gallery there are several shops where you can buy souvenirs as a keepsake of your visit. Visitors can have a snack in the cafe, where delicious dishes and snacks are served, and after a meal, enjoy hot coffee or tea.
How to get there and opening hours
You can visit the gallery on any day except Monday and holidays. On Tuesday, the museum complex is open from 12-00 to 22-00 (the ticket office is open until 21-00). Wednesday-Sunday exhibition halls can be visited from 12-00 to 20-00 (the ticket office closes at 19-00). The cost of tickets is:
- For adults - 300 rubles
- For the privileged category of citizens - 100 rubles
- For children under 18 years old - free
On the last Wednesday of each month, visitors to the exhibition hall can view the exhibits free of charge. A professional tour of the permanent exhibition of the gallery is also free of charge. From the metro station "Kropotkinskaya" by any bus you can get to the stop called "Academy of Arts". Then you need to go to the street to them. Prechistenka and head in the opposite direction. Soon you can see the building of the art gallery of Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli, which is located on the right immediately after the exhibition halls of the Russian Academy.
