The Hall of History of Tretyakov Gallery in the Kaliningrad Branch became one of the most important permanent expositions in the framework of the gallery’s expansion through the country. This exposition introduces visitors to the history of Tretyakov Gallery’s development, and demonstrates its journey from creators’ initial concept and a small building in Tolmachi to a famous museum of national art, merging small museums in Moscow and three branches.
The exposition holds archival documents, photographs, films and installations. The history of Tretyakov Gallery is interconnected with socio-political, historical and artistic processes of Russia. This was taken into an account by curators when dividing the space of the project into eight chronological periods: creators’ plans and the creation of a private exhibition space, the reconstruction of the space according to scientific principles, evacuation of the collection during the years of the Great Patriotic War, and so on — up to the present day.
While working on the project, the architects strived to empathise the historical setting of every separate room by designing its appearance according to the style of its time period. One of the rooms — the reconstructed office of Igor Grabar — features elegant stucco work, which down to the smallest detail reproduces the style that was so widespread in Russia in the last and previous centuries.
The scale of work on the History Hall of Tretyakov Gallery included all of the architectural and exhibitions stages: from concept development of the project to architectural design, which allowed to create such a harmonious and aesthetic exposition.