Top 10 Interesting facts about the Russian Academy of Fine Arts Museum

Top 10 Interesting facts about the Russian Academy of Fine Arts Museum

The Russian Academy of Arts was an art museum in Saint Peterburg, Russia, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov. The Russian Academy is also known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts was created under the name Academy of the Three Noble Arts like painting, sculpture and Architecture. The Academy promoted the neoclassical style and technique and sent the best students to European capitals for further studies.

Ivan Shuvalov brought teachers from Europe, he attracted the first Russian student to be trained at the Academy and later on, he donated his remarkable private fine arts collection that became a core of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts.   

This article will explore some interesting facts about the Russian Academy of Fine Arts to empower the reader with more information about the Museum.

1. Exhibition Activities

A piece of art in the museum by inyourpocket-inyourpocket

In the first six months of the year, there were impressive arrays of exhibitions from contemporary Russian Artists in the Academy. In late 2008 the Academy hosted a show of the people’s artist of the USSR Nikolov Zhukov, dedicated to the centenary of this superb graphic artist and illustrator. There was a show of two artists from St. Petersburg- Vladimir Vetrogonsky a people’s Artist of Russia and a full member of the Russian Academy of Arts.

The Academy opened “From the History of manned Space Flight” which was an exhibition by the full member of the Russian Academy of Arts Yury Kopeiko which was dedicated to his 75^th anniversary. Later on, the Oleg Vukolov exhibition took place in 2009.

The regular academic shows the continuity of the great traditions and artistic characters to which Russian young artists look up to.

2. The Academy’s beautiful floors and main halls

The Imperial Academy of Arts by Florstein-Wikimedia

The academy’s first floor has a compass which introduces visitors to a collection of casts made by Italian masters. The exhibition occupies 33 rooms and more than 600 exhibits. The Academy’s second floor consists of paintings by famous artists who serve as models for students of the Academy. It also presents the work of graduates, awarded the best awards that as gold medals, and academic titles. The third floor is devoted to architectural works models.

The main hall of the Academy, located around the perimeter of the building contains arts worth viewing and besides arts, exhibitions, meetings, concerts, lectures and symposia were held at the hall, organized by the Scientific and Research Museum of the Russian Academy.

3. The Academy membership

The members of the Russian Academy of fine Arts include the full members, corresponding members, Honorary Members and foreign members. All these members are chosen by the government of Russia by determining the number of members. After the number of members is chosen the Russian Academy assembly is given the Authority to elect the members. This happens every 3 years.

Designers, architects, artists and art critics can be elected to improve their arts, architecture, design and art criticism with distinguished and important works of art and research work.

4. The President of the Russian Academy of Fine Art

Currently, the President of the Academy is Zurab K. Tsereteli. The president heads the praesidium of the academy and he is responsible for all the activities, its divisions and entities. He represents the academy in federal authorities, appoints and releases them from duties and also heads the academy’s structural divisions and entities.

The president is elected by the academy full members that are the academicians for a five-year term by the majority of the votes of the full members who participated in the voting.

5. The Symbol of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts

The Russian Acdemy of Fine Arts Museum by inyourpocket-inyourpocket

The symbol of the Academy resembles traditional symbols of the Imperial Academy of Arts which was designed by V. Sverchkov in the year 1856. It was approved by the chief king of Arms of the Russian federation G. Villinbakhov. It was later on re-created by Avvakumov in 1995.

Full members of the Russian Academy are decorated with golden and silver lapel badges, gowns, caps and breastplates

6. Awards

The Russian Academy’s first awards have been presented as an appreciation of achievements in studies, the awards included; medals, prizes and financial incentives to students in need. The gold medal was given out to the graduating students who had executed the so-called “program works”. The silver medals were awarded mostly for the best drawing which was considered the highest indicator of the professional level. Currently, to the encouragement of young artists, the Russian Academy of fine Arts annually awards bronze medals.

7. The Academia magazine

The Academia magazine was launched by the Russian Academy of fine Arts under the auspices of the Russian ministry of culture in 2009. The magazine’s aim is to fill in the shortage of a competent discussion on art problems and appreciation of artworks, at the formation of a wide information space including current art practice in the historical process as well as the promotion of creative work by eminent figures of art.

It was also created for all those people who are interested in the history and the trends of visual art collectors, amateur artists, students of art instate and the ones who are lovers of fine arts.

8. Russian Academy has several modifications

The Russian Academy of Fine arts museum by inyourpocket-inyourpocket

The Academy was initially housed at the Shuvalov mansion on Sadovaya street when Catherine the Great commissioned Alexander Kookorinov, the academy rector to construct a new tower which took 25years to be completed and was opened in 1789. Thon Konstantin was responsible for its interior decoration and also, and he designed a quayside in front of the building with stairs down to the Neva River. Later on, in 1893 the academy was split into two that is the Academy of Arts itself and the higher art school of the Academy of Arts.

9. It underwent renovations after the 1917 Russian revolution

The 1917 Russian Revolution made the Academy undergo several modifications. It was abolished in 1918 and replaced by the Petrograd free art educational studios, which were renamed the Petrograd Svomas in 1919. The Petrograd Svomas state art-educational studios reconstructed the Academy of Arts in 1921, Vkhutein in 1928, Institute of Proletarian fine arts in 1930 and the Russian Academy in 1933.     

10. It is an ideal place for art lovers

The beautiful and majestic building was built for the Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich who was the son of paul II. The museum is ideal for art lovers in that it is not crowded and is filled with beautiful paintings that they may not otherwise encounter.