Autumn Art Highlights in Moscow
A deep dive into Russian Impressionism, Buddhist art, and architectural innovation
As Moscow takes on the colours of autumn, its museums open a new season of major exhibitions. From Russian masters and contemporary art to international treasures, these shows offer compelling reasons to explore Moscow’s vibrant cultural scene.
VDNH — Central Pavilion
The Art of the Stage: Academic Painting
Opening on 10 September at VDNH’s Pavilion No. 1, the large‑scale exhibition brings together around 200 rare works of painting, graphics, sculpture and decorative art. The show draws on treasures from the State Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Academy of Arts, with 32 museums from 12 Russian cities taking part.
Highlights include celebrated canvases by Repin, Bryullov and Surikov, as well as Orest Kiprensky’s Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo Field — a masterpiece of early‑19th‑century national art. At the heart of the display sits a dramatic costume installation suspended beneath the pavilion’s dome.
Dates: September
Address: Mira Avenue, 119с1
Tretyakov Gallery
Fragile Art: Pastels XVIII — XX Centuries
Photo: Tretyakov Gallery
More than 150 works — including portraits, landscapes, theatrical sketches, and imaginative compositions — demonstrate the expressive possibilities of pastel. Highlights include works by Mikhail Vrubel, Alexei Venetsianov, Valentin Serov, and Alexandre Benois.
Dates: Until 1 November
Address: Lavrushinsky Lane, 10
Flowers: A Symbol of Beauty
Photo: Tretyakov Gallery
This exhibition explores the enduring beauty of flowers in Russian art. Around 150 works, ranging from Impressionism to Art Nouveau and Symbolism, are on display, including masterpieces by Konstantin Korovin, Isaac Levitan, Mikhail Vrubel, Valentin Serov, and Alexander Golovin.
Dates: Until 18 October
Address: Kadashevskaya Embankment, 12
Viktor Borisov-Musatov: The Harmony of the Image
This major retrospective celebrates Symbolist painter Viktor Borisov-Musatov, one of the leading artists of Russia’s Silver Age. More than 140 works from 20 museums and private collections reveal his artistic process, including his pioneering use of photography in painting.
Dates: Until 8 November
Address: Kadashevskaya Embankment, 12
Photo: Tretyakov Gallery
Photo: Tretyakov Gallery
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Photo: Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
The Diamond Chariot: The Art of Russian Buddhism
This exhibition explores the artistic traditions of Buddhism in Russia through paintings, sculptures, rare manuscripts, and archival materials. Around 280 objects are on display, including Buddhist sculpture, thangka paintings, appliqués, rare books, and original pages from the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine.
Dates: Until 1 November
Address: Volkhonka Street, 12
Japonism in Russian Colour Prints at the Turn of the XX Century
This exhibition examines the influence of Japanese art on Russian printmaking. Visitors will discover how the aesthetics of Ukiyo-e inspired Art Nouveau artists and contributed to the revival of colour woodblock printing in Russia.
Dates: From November
Address: Volkhonka Street, 12
Photo: ANO ‘Moscow Tourism and Hospitality’
Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA)
Phenomena: Contemporary Moscow Painting Reassembling the Real
The Moscow Museum of Modern Art presents Phenomena, an exhibition devoted to the return of painting to the contemporary art scene: painting that is classical at its core, yet able to capture the image and tension of the present day. Eleven artists are shown in close-up, each in a separate room, through paintings and graphic works that form part of major thematic series and projects from recent years.
Dates: Until 4 November
Address: Petrovka Street, 25
Zotov Centre
Photo: Zotov Centre
Bread
Marking the 95th anniversary of Zotov Bakery No. 5, this exhibition uses bread as a lens through which to explore nearly a century of Russia’s culinary traditions, industrial heritage, and everyday culture.
Dates: From 3 September
Address: Khodynskaya Street, 2с1
Museum of Russian Impressionism
Photo: mos.ru
The Zvantseva School: A Laboratory of Modernism
This exhibition celebrates one of the most influential art schools of the early 20th century, where artists experimented with PostImpressionism, Art Nouveau, and Symbolism. Visitors can see works by Marc Chagall, Léon Bakst, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, and many other leading figures of Russian modern art.
Dates: Until 4 October
Address: Leningradsky Avenue, 15с11
State Museum of Architecture
Shekhtel: Dreams of Russian Art Nouveau
Photo: State Museum of Architecture
Dedicated to one of Russia’s most celebrated architects, the exhibition features architectural drawings, historical photographs, building models, decorative art, and books from Shekhtel’s personal library, illustrating the richness of Russian Art Nouveau.
Dates: Until 4 October
Address: Vozdvizhenka Street, 5/25с1
GS: The Architecture of Gas Stations
Photo: State Museum of Architecture
This unusual exhibition presents petrol stations as intersections of architecture, engineering, and everyday life. It explores the stories behind their designers, engineers, factories, and research institutes.
Dates: Until 25 October
Address: Vozdvizhenka Street, 5/25с1
Alexander Vitberg: Architect. Artist. Freemason
This exhibition tells the remarkable story of 19thcentury architect Alexander Vitberg, best known for his ambitious but unrealised design for Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
Dates: From 29 October
Address: Vozdvizhenka Street, 5/25с1
Photo: ANO ‘Moscow Tourism and Hospitality’
