The Tretyakov Gallery Celebrates its 167th Anniversity. A Branch of the Great Russian Museum is under Construction on Oktyabrsky Island in Kaliningrad

Branch of the Tretyakov Gallery under Construction

Thanks to famous Russian patrons of art, the Russian and global culture gained the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres, imperial art and choreographic schools and academies. 167 years ago, the Tretyakov Gallery was established by Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, collector, merchant, and textile manufacturer. He purchased Schilder’s Temptation and Khudyakov’s Clash with Finnish Smugglers on 22 May 1856. That day is considered to be the foundation date of the national museum of Russian fine arts.

Today, a new cultural wave is rising in Russian art. For many years, the main part of the cultural life in this country was concentrated mainly in two capitals: Moscow and St. Petersburg, where the main theatres of Russia and higher educational institutions involved in cultural education are based. Collections of the leading capital museums significantly exceed the capacity of their exhibition spaces. Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to establish large cultural and educational complexes in Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Sevastopol, and Vladivostok to make national cultural values and high-quality education in the field of culture more accessible to residents of other Russian regions.

In Kaliningrad, such cluster is being built on Oktyabrsky Island. It is literally the largest project of its kind not only in the Baltics, but in Europe. The concept of the museum on Oktyabrsky Island is based on several important ideas and tasks. The first of them is to show Russian art in Kaliningrad, in the westernmost point of this country. Besides, the branch of the Tretyakov Gallery will become a platform not only for the exposition of Russian masterpieces, inter-museum and international dialogue, but also for creative innovations and educational programs: lectures, concerts, meetings, film screenings.

When designing the building of the Tretyakov Gallery Branch, the architects sought to create a minimalist vision in the building that will have an authentic look even after many years of service. According to the architectural idea, the gallery building will visually float in the air. This effect is created thanks to an overhanging 15-meter console and special lighting.

Another feature of the future museum and architectural dominant is a 50-meter administrative tower. It will be equipped with work rooms for museum staff, a multifunctional space designed for presentations, press conferences, and other events, as well as technical rooms for utility systems of the complex. The external design of the administrative tower consists in stained glassing with a total area of 2.4 thousand square meters. Multifunctional double-glazed windows that have exceptional solar protection and energy saving characteristics with an optimal level of light transmission were used for glassing.

Skylight Installation

Service Room in the Administration Tower

The total area of the museum will be 17.6 thousand square metres. The dominant space of the first floor will be occupied by the entrance lobby, main staircase, large cafe, library, other premises, as well as a lecture hall for 276 students. Other floors will host exhibition halls, museum depositories, workshops, study studios and lecture halls, offices, restoration rooms, as well as technical and utility rooms. An area of 4.4 thousand square meters is intended for 14 exhibition halls. In addition to the exhibition space, there will be public areas for creative and educational programmes: lecture chambers, pottery and craft workshops, painting workshop, and cinema hall.

Interior Finishing of Exhibition Halls

The highlight of the museum complex is an exceptional combination of daylight and artificial light on its premises. Overhead light is provided in the future halls and galleries and it can be shut with opaque or translucent roller blinds dispersing the light at the request of the curator or due to climatic reasons. 126 skylights have been installed on the main roof to ensure natural lighting for exhibition halls.

Skylights

Great attention has been paid to the ventilation of the building, in particular, exhibition rooms and storage facilities. In air conditioning systems, air will be heated and humidified to maintain microclimate required to safeguard expensive exhibits on a 24/7 basis.

The main staircase is one of the central elements of the interior and decoration of the entrance area of the museum. The museum complex main staircase is more than 7 meters high and slightly less than 20 m wide. 204 cubic meters of concrete were used to build the staircase. Though it is massive and fundamental, the staircase also floats in the air. This effect is created by only two supporting points at the bottom and on top of the structure. The staircase will be finished with parquet and boards of natural light colours.

Museum Main Staircase

The main staircase is designed to connect the first floor with the exhibition and public space on the third floor. However, it is not only designed for walking. The entrance area of the museum is multifunctional – for instances, steps of the main staircase can be used for lectures, master classes, or relaxation.

Awesome panoramas of Kaliningrad and nearby cultural facilities under construction – the Bolshoi Theatre Branch and the Baltic Higher School of Music and Dramatic Arts – a branch of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts – will open up from the building windows.

Stained Glass Windows on the First Floor 

Currently, fine finishing in technical and industrial premises is at an active stage at the Tretyakov Gallery Branch construction site. Work is underway to fill in translucent structures and install facades. External networks and utilities are being installed. It is planned to work on the improvement of the adjacent territory, procurement of landscaping items and small architectural forms.

Installation of Aluminium Facade Cassettes

The branch of the Tretyakov Gallery has been designed and is being built in accordance with all modern requirements to museums. It will surely become the most important cultural centre in Kaliningrad and will be in demand of both residents and guests of the city.

Background:

Construction of the Kaliningrad facility began in 2019. The developer is National Cultural Heritage Foundation for Social and Cultural Projects (founders: the Mariinsky Theatre, the State Hermitage Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre), the general contractor is Stroytransgaz Group.