St. Petersburg’s Russian Museum marks 125th anniversary with empty halls… & RT’s Ruptly gives you an exclusive tour (VIDEO)

The State Russian Museum whose grand collection ranges from medieval icons to Kazimir Malevich’s squares and circles is marking its 125th anniversary with empty halls due to Covid-19. But this Ruptly video takes you on a tour.

The largest depository of Russian fine arts was founded back in 1895 by Russia’s last Emperor Nicholas II. Located in the grandiose Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, the museum is used to seeing droves of tourists daily but like many establishments worldwide it is currently closed due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Ruptly has peeked into the empty halls of the museum, and also captured a rare look at the iconic building from above.

The camera then floats through the main entrance of the palace over its marble staircase right into the halls of the massive museum. The video captures different pieces of fine art on display, including ‘Morning’ by Mikhail Vrubel, ‘Bathing a Horse’ by Valentin Serov, ‘Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection’ by Alexander Ivanov and other iconic works.

It’s not the only opportunity to ‘visit’ the museum undisturbed amid the outbreak, as the long-planned 125th anniversary festivities have been moved online, with several tours and special anniversary events being streamed.

Apart from giving art connoisseurs an opportunity to visit its halls remotely, the museum also opened a couple of new temporary exhibitions on Saturday. Both of them – one devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War and another one showcasing gifts the museum received over the years – are available online as well.

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