On November 25, one of the most significant and unique exhibitions of recent years opens in the Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery. 42 works of art from the Vatican Pinacoteca will be presented in Moscow for three months.
The popularity of various exhibitions with masterpieces from different eras in Moscow has recently been incredibly high. Tickets must be purchased in advance. People dress warmly and stand in long lines to look at unique paintings. What can you see this time? The answer is in the report.
1. The exhibition is located in the Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery. This is the closest building to Tretyakovskaya metro station. Three halls on the third floor. Large, medium and small. 
2. The middle hall greets visitors first. A short introduction to the Vatican Museums and the plan of St. Peter's Basilica with the square in front of it. 
3. It all starts with an exhibit that has never left the Vatican before. "Christ the Blesser." 12th century, Roman school. 
4. The middle room is filled with small-sized paintings. In addition to the works of Bellini, Raphael and Caravaggio, mentioned in the title of the exhibition, you will be able to see Margaritone d’Arezzo, Pietro Lorenzetti, Gentile da Fabriano, Fra Beato Angelico. 
5. The Vatican Pinacoteca was founded by Pope Pius VI in the second half of the 18th century. By order of Napoleon Bonaparte, they were taken to Paris, but later returned to their place. For many years, the collection was replenished and decorated only the pope’s chambers and some rooms. It was only in 1908 that the collection joined the ranks of museum exhibits available to the public. At first it was located in the premises of the Belvedere Palace, and later received its own building. 
6. Most of the works in the Vatican Pinacotene are by Italians. A smaller part is the acquired collection of Byzantine art, and even fewer works from other countries. 
7. 42 works arrived in Moscow. This is almost 10% of the entire collection. Previously, such a large number of works had never been exported from the Vatican. The decision to hold temporary exhibitions of Russian works in the Vatican and the Vatican collection in Russia was made at the highest level. Financial support for this project was provided by Alisher Usmanov’s charity foundation “Art, Science and Sports”, which has repeatedly supported exhibitions at the Tretyakov Gallery. 
8. The importance of the event is emphasized by the visit of Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello. He is the governor of the Vatican City State, which is roughly equivalent to the position of prime minister in Russia. 
9. The second hall in line is large. The largest works in the collection are collected here. 
10. All paintings are signed in Russian and English. The inscriptions are under your feet. emphasizing the large threshold. 
11. And don't forget to look into the small hall at the far end from the entrance. These 8 works feature the series "Astronomical Observations" by Donato Creti. 
12.
In my unprofessional opinion, this is a very interesting exhibition. Small, but even in this form it looks complete. The religious themes of all the works are not surprising, but they are not striking either. We all understand that the Vatican is the center of Catholicism in the world. His collections of religious themes are very diverse.
Will you go to this exhibition?
Thank you for your attention! Stay in touch!
The Tretyakov Gallery hosted an exhibition entitled “Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacothek.” The time of its passage is from 02/19/2016 to 02/19/2017. What is the Pinakothek, what is its significance for the residents of Russia, you can find out from the article.
Meaning of the word
Pinakothek is a term that comes from the merger of two Greek words. The first part of the term means “board”, that is, “picture”, and the second part means “storage”. It’s not hard to guess what the Pinakothek is. In Ancient Greece, this was the name given to the room in which picturesque images were stored. Gradually, the meaning of the term changed somewhat.
What is the Pinakothek in the past and present
There was a building in the left wing of which paintings brought to the goddess Athena as a gift were kept. They were housed in several six-column rooms. The collection consisted of various painted works. It was available for viewing by the citizens of Athens. The first catalog, which began to systematize the repository, was created by Polemon of Ilium in the third - second century BC. e. There were pinakotheks at the Heraion (Temple of Hera).
Citizens of Ancient Rome used the term to refer to a room in which works of art were kept.
During the Renaissance, the term was used to refer to collections of paintings that were open to the public.
What is the Pinakothek today? The term refers to art galleries. A good example is one of the most famous Pinakotheks in the world.
Pinacoteca Vatican
The Vatican's collection of paintings appeared a couple of hundred years ago. Its founder is considered to be Pope Pius the Sixth. Several decades later, in 1797, most of the paintings were sent to Paris. Napoleon gave the order for this. By 1815 the collection had returned to the Vatican. The decision to return the valuables was made at the Congress of Vienna, held after the Napoleonic Wars.
The works of painting did not have a permanent location. They were moved from one hall to another until they were placed in a wing of the Belvedere Palace. The public was able to see the Pinakothek only in 1908.
Twenty-four years later, a special building was built for the collection. The customer of the construction was Pope Pius the Eleventh, and the architect was L. Beltrami.
The collection consists of approximately 460 paintings, which are placed in eighteen rooms in chronological order. It contains works on religious themes. These are mainly the works of Italian masters.
Examples of halls:
- The first hall shows the works of the Medieval schools of such masters as Nicolo Giovanni.
- The eighth room contains works by Raphael Santi, including tapestries based on his designs.
- The tenth hall is represented by the school of Raphael and Venetian painting.
- The twelfth room consists of paintings in the Baroque style: works by Nicolas Poussin, Caravaggio, Guido Reni.
- The eighteenth room contains icons and mosaics from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
You can visit the Pinakothek by purchasing a single ticket for entry to the Sistine Chapel and the cost in 2016 was sixteen euros.
In November 2016, the Vatican Pinakothek opened in the Tretyakov Gallery. What is presented in the brought collection and what is its significance for residents and guests of Moscow?
Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinakothek in the Tretyakov Gallery
The exhibition (Vatican Pinacoteca) consists of forty paintings. These are works by Giovanni Belini, Caravaggio, Raphael and other masters of the twelfth to eighteenth centuries. It will continue until February 19, 2017.
Tickets to the Vatican Pinacoteca will cost five hundred rubles per person. A visit to the exhibition lasts thirty minutes. You can purchase tickets at any time on the Tretyakov Gallery’s personal website.
According to the curator of the exhibition, Arkady Ippolitov, the exhibition is a kind of explanation of the idea “Moscow is the third Rome”. The Pinakothek has housed the state for seven centuries. The institution of the papacy, according to him, is the link between European civilization and the ancient world.
The exhibition begins with the earliest icon of Rome, the Blessing Christ, which dates back to the twelfth century. It was written under the influence of Byzantium. The icon preserves the memories of a single church, showing the single root from which the art of Italy and Russia developed.
Friends, good afternoon. On Saturday we were lucky enough to visit a unique exhibition of Vatican masterpieces, you still have the opportunity to see it within two months, don’t miss it.
The exhibition takes place in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane, 12) from November 25, 2016 to February 19, 2017. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy tickets through the website, but you can easily come to the museum and buy a ticket right on the spot, at the box office, Despite the large number of visitors, we did not see any queues.
Operating mode:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 (entrance until 17.00)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 10.00 to 21.00 (entrance until 20.00)
Monday is a day off.
Allow yourself a couple of hours to view the exhibition; one hour is clearly not enough.
To be honest, I’m still very impressed, I don’t even know where to start. Works from the 12th to the 18th centuries are presented. This is a tenth of the collection, which includes 460 works. It is interesting that a number of paintings left their native walls for the first time, given that not everyone, in light of the tightening of economic policy, can afford to travel abroad, I think that we are very lucky and I recommend using this chance, you will definitely not remain indifferent. Unfortunately, taking photographs at the exhibition is strictly prohibited, so I took all the photographs from the Internet, and the description from the brochure from the exhibition and from memory what I managed to remember from the audio guide.
The exhibition begins with the rare ancient icon “Christ Blessing,” created in the second half of the 12th century by a master working in Rome under the influence of Byzantine painting. Before entering the Pinacoteca, it was located in the church of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio, one of the oldest in Rome. The Roman master presented Jesus Christ in the image of Pantocrator, that is, the ruler of the Universe, and the icon, being an analogy of ancient Russian images of the Savior Pantocrator, preserves the memory of the unity of the Christian church before the schism, that is, before its division into Catholic and Orthodox, and shows the direct kinship of Italian and Russian art coming from the same root.
The exhibition continues with Margaritone di Magnano, nicknamed Margaritone d'Arezzo ca. 1216-1290).
Saint Francis of Assisi. 1250-1270. Altar image. Wood, tempera, gold. 127.2x53.9 cm.
“Margaritone d'Arezzo, born before Giotto and Duccio, is one of the greatest painters of medieval Italy. The painting is included in all art history textbooks as an outstanding example of the late Romanesque style, but it is also interesting because it is one of the earliest images of St. Francis of Assisi, made shortly after his canonization in 1228. Saint Francis played a vital role in the history of the Western Church; it is not for nothing that the current pope chose his name, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. This work may have been exactly the one that Vasari described in “The Life of Margaritone” as painted from life, so that it can be considered almost one of the first portraits in Italian painting.”
I was shocked both by the icons themselves and by their preservation, think about it, this is from the 12th-13th centuries!
I will not dwell on all the exhibits; I will note only those that sank into my soul the most and shocked me with their skill. Continuing the inspection of the first hall, I would like to draw attention to 3 frescoes by Melozzo degli Ambrosi, nicknamed Melozzo da Forli (1438-1494).
Angels playing the lute. 1480. Fragments of a fresco removed from the wall. Right size: 117×93.5 cm.
The artist “...was invited to Rome by Pope Sixtus IV. He created many frescoes in Roman churches, so that Melozzo can be considered the founder of the Roman school, which flourished in the 16th-17th centuries. Three angels playing music are fragments of his painting of the dome of the Church of Santi Apostoli, a huge multi-figure composition “The Ascension of Christ”.
The fresco was perceived by contemporaries as a triumph of papal power, which revived Rome. The divine orchestra of angels symbolized the unearthly beauty of paradise, and the abstract concept of “music of heaven” is associated with the philosophical constructions of the model of the world, which the Pythagoreans and Platonists spoke about. Melozzo, as a Renaissance artist, combines ancient and Christian traditions in his work. His angels, glorifying the Lord according to the words of the Bible: “Let them praise His name with faces, with tympanum and harp, let them sing to Him, for the Lord delights in His people, glorifying the humble with salvation,” are ideal, like ancient statues, and at the same time vital - they look like young pages at the courts of Renaissance rulers.”
The fresco “Angel Playing the Viol”, not many of Melozzo’s works have reached us; most of his frescoes were lost during perestroika, but from what remains, one can judge the scale of his talent. Melozzo, turning to medieval models, breathed new life into them, anticipating Michelangelo, Raphael, Correggio, and the painting of the domes of Baroque churches.
Also noteworthy is the work of Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370-1427).
Scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: St. Nicholas calms the storm and saves the ship. OK. 1425. Predella. Wood, tempera. But it is interesting not so much for its plot, but because the author depicts the earth here as round, which was an absolute innovation for those times. Look at the horizon line. 
Well, I can’t help but draw attention to one of the central exhibits of the first hall, Giovanni Bellini (c. 1432-1516). Lamentation of Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene. OK. 1471-1474. Altar top. Wood, oil. 107×84 cm.
“Bellini is the greatest artist of the Venetian school of the 15th century. This painting is one of his masterpieces. It was the finial of a large altar, and in its composition Bellini takes a decisive step towards the calm grandeur of the High Renaissance, overtaking many of his contemporary Florentine artists. The work is avant-garde in the mere fact that it is painted in oils, using a completely new technique for Italy, just brought to Venice from the Netherlands. The iconography is also original. Usually the main person in the Lamentation scene is the Virgin Mary. Only Joseph of Arimathea, Saint Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene are depicted here supporting Jesus from behind. The thoughtful silence in which the characters are immersed, emphasized by the tension of their clasped hands, gives this scene a rare psychological acuity.”
Looking at a painting by Carlo Crivelli (1435-1494). Mourning. 1488. Lunette. Wood, tempera, gold. For a long time I could not understand the technique in which it was executed, the work here is so delicate that it seems that the picture is woven from brocade, this is amazing, I have never seen anything like it before.
“Carlo Crivelli, a Venetian by birth, left his native city early and became famous in the Marche region. During his lifetime he was popular, but later he was forgotten and rediscovered only at the end of the 19th century. This lunette, which crowned the large altar, is one of his most stunning works. For the sake of expressiveness, the artist resorts to obvious violations of proportions, and in order to intertwine the hands of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Magdalene together, Crivelli makes the right hand of Christ much longer than the left. Bent over a knot of palms, Magdalene’s face, distorted by crying, becomes the emotional center of the picture. The work is strongly influenced by Northern Gothic, and is characterized by that incredible intensity of psychological experience that is characteristic of the mystical religious movements of the 15th century.”
Most of the works with their plots take us to where the Birth of Christ and other events took place
Moving on to the second hall of the exhibition, I want to start with a description of the painting that most struck me, namely Guido Reni’s painting “St. Matthew and the Angel,” 1635-1640. Painting size 85×68 cm, oil on canvas. Saint Matthew, original name Levi, one of the twelve apostles and author of the first Gospel. Reni painted this picture over the course of about five years already in adulthood. “Saint Matthew and the Angel” is considered one of the artist’s most significant works in the last period of his work. The magic of the gaze of Matthew and the angel is striking, how one listens to the other, with what amazing accuracy and grace the artist was able to convey the complex range of feelings of both in their glances.
The second most powerful painting on me was the painting attributed to Pensionante del Saraceni, “The Denial of St. Peter.” The painting was considered the work of Caravaggio until 1943, but was then attributed to a student of Carlo Saraceni, one of the main representatives of early Caravaggism. The student's name has not yet been established, and he is tentatively called "Pensionante del Saraceni", which in Italian means "guest of Saraceni". His canvases stand out among the works of other Caravaggists: the artist does not plunge the background into darkness, but illuminates the entire picture with an even iridescent light. The plot of the picture is the gospel story of the denial of the Apostle Peter. The night before he was taken into custody, Jesus predicted to him that he would deny three times before the first rooster. A maid approached Peter, who was waiting for news at the gate of the high priest’s house, where the arrested Jesus was taken, and, recognizing him, said: “And she with Jesus of Galilee,” but the apostle denied. In the picture, Peter’s face is in the shadows, as if hiding his shame .
One of the central works of the second room is the work of Michelangelo Merisi, nicknamed Caravaggio, “Entombment,” which the artist painted for the Roman temple of Santa Maria della Valicella. It is considered one of the best in his work. The composition “Entombment” is structured in such a way that the viewer looking at it involuntarily becomes part of the picture. The stone tomb in which they want to put Christ is turned towards the viewer with one of its corners - this corner seems to break through a thin barrier between the world of the picture and ordinary reality. The impression is strengthened by the sharp elbow of Nicodemus holding Jesus by the legs. It seems that they want to convey the motionless body of Christ to the one who looks at the picture.
Young Maria froze in a silent cry, raising her hands to the sky, her hair sticking out in different directions - apparently, she tore it in lamentations. Mary Magdalene's head is mournfully lowered, he hides his tears, worrying about the loss. Jesus' mother does not cry or scream, she silently looks at her son's face, knowing that she will never see him again. The men's faces are concentrated and mournful.
John, frowning, peers into the lifeless face of his Teacher, and the strong and stocky Nicodemus looks down at the bottom of the tomb, straining under the weight of Jesus’ body. The body of Christ is devoid of any cadaverous shades; it is pale, as if it had lost all the colors of life. 
Of course, one of the most significant items in the exhibition are two small grisailles by Raphael Santi, which formed the predella of the altarpiece for the church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia, known as the Baglioni altarpiece, in the center of which was the “Entombment”, now kept in the Galleria Borghese. "Vera", the side part of the predella, appears in the form of a female figure with a chalice in her hand, putti in the side niches hold tablets with mograms of the name of Jesus.
In the Third Hall we are presented with the series “Astronomical Observations”, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Satupnus, Comet. An unusual series of paintings, mounted in one frame, depicting night observations of all the then known planets of the solar system, created by the Bolognese artist Donato Creti, commissioned by Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, an amateur astronomer. The count decided to send the paintings to Pope Clement 11 in the hope of in this way convincing him to allocate money for the construction of an observatory in Bologna and achieved his goal, the funds were allocated.
There are still many worthy and unique works presented at the exhibition and you, friends, have two more months to visit it and see all these creations with your own eyes, I wish you good luck.
“Roma Aeterna” or “Eternal Rome” is forty-two works of the first row, most of which rarely left the Pinakothek (and some works never left at all), connecting seven centuries of the history of the Vatican - from the 12th to the 18th. The curator of the project is an art critic, curator of the engraving department and an author who rethinks the images of Italy in his books (“Especially Lombardy. Images of Italy XXI”, “Only Venice. Images of Italy XXI”),
— selected undisputed masterpieces for the exhibition in Moscow: there really is not a single passable work here that has been collecting dust in storage rooms for years.
Caravaggio. Position in the coffin. OK. 1602-1603
Wikimedia CommonsThe exhibition opens with “Christ Blessing” - a Roman icon of the 12th century, as well as one of the earliest images of Francis of Assisi performed by Margaritone d'Arezzo. In both, traces of both Byzantine aesthetics and the emerging Gothic are clearly visible. The series of works by Donato Creti “Astronomical observations" of the 18th century, which included eight small paintings with images of the planets of the solar system. The series was commissioned by the artist Count Luigi Marsili, who presented it as a gift to Pope Clement XI in order to convince him of the need to sponsor the opening of the first astronomical laboratory in Bologna.
Nicolas Poussin. The Torment of Saint Erasmus. 1628
Wikimedia CommonsBetween them are the works that make up the color of the papal collection: the textbook Lamentation of Christ, The Dream of Saint Helena by Veronese and Entombment by Caravaggio, small grisailles by Raphael - Faith and Charity, a huge canvas by Nicolas Poussin The Torment of Saint Erasmus "from St. Peter's Basilica, as well as the music-playing angels of Melozzo da Forli, who adorn all the "papal" souvenirs - from entrance tickets to the Vatican Museums to souvenir iPhone cases.
Melozzo da Forli. Angel with lute
Wikimedia CommonsIn addition to its obvious content appeal, the exhibition also became a diplomatic gesture on a grand scale, which is now presented as
a natural result of the centuries-old “spiritual connection between Moscow and Rome.”
The idea that the main masterpieces of the Vatican would come to the main Russian museum was first discussed three years ago - after a meeting between the President of Russia and.
Paolo Veronese. "The Dream of Saint Helena" 1580
Wikimedia CommonsIn 2017, a return exhibition of Russian religious painting from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery will go to the Vatican.
Unlike previous blockbuster exhibitions, “Roma Aeterna” will work in the Engineering Building of the gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane, and not on Krymsky Val. The choice of a less spacious exhibition space was determined by the need to maintain the required humidity and climate conditions necessary for maintaining the exhibits - they are better in a historical building than in a modern one. The Tretyakov Gallery does not set itself the goal of breaking Aivazovsky’s record, said the head of the Tretyakov Gallery. However, to avoid queues, the Tretyakov Gallery organizes half-hour sessions at the exhibition. 90 people will be allowed into the halls. It will last until February 19, 2017. Now electronic tickets for the exhibition, which appeared a month before its opening, have already expired before the end of the year, the resumption of sales is expected any day now.
Konstantin Yuon. "New Planet". 1921. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Exhibition “Russian Way. From Dionysius to Malevich" in the Vatican Museums - a response to the one held two years ago at the State Tretyakov Gallery "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio." The word “masterpieces” is fundamentally absent from the title of the Russian exhibition. Arkady Ippolitov, the author of its idea and one of the curators, is sure that the strength of Russian art does not lie in formal mastery, at least this is not what the exhibition he invented is about. It is about the obligatory spiritual search for Russian artists - icon painters, realists, avant-garde artists. Although it is customary to clearly separate pre-Petrine icon painting from post-Petrine painting, Russian realism from Russian modernism.
"The Vision of Eulogius". 1585-1696. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Here, in a very simplified version, is the idea of this complex exhibition. To implement it, the main Russian paintings that had entered the national consciousness and the best icons that could withstand the move were chosen. Moreover, 47 of the 54 items brought to the Vatican were from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, which for the first time parted ways with so many of the exhibits most in demand by the public. It was not possible to bring only the main Russian religious painting - “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Alexander Ivanov: too large, too heavy to lift - it was replaced by a smaller version from the Russian Museum.
Isaac Levitan. "Above eternal peace." 1894. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
It is natural to ask, what are the sacrifices for and is it worth testing our native painting by inevitable comparison with the neighboring great Vatican artistic values, the main ones for all humanity? Wouldn't it be better to assemble the icons - the obvious embodiment of Russian spirituality - into a neat and easy-to-understand exhibition? But the Tretyakov Gallery chose to take a risk, and it is unknown whether it won. Surely the “Russian Way” will have as many opponents as fans: it has turned out to be very controversial. The idea of the exhibition, as can be judged by discussions on social networks, is not liked by either soil conservatives, who are confident that only Rus' is holy, or Western liberals, who do not recognize its special status. These disputes are also traditional and part of the national mentality.
Mikhail Vrubel. "Demon (seated)." 1890. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
It is unlikely that both will accept the abandonment of the chronological principle of building an exhibition. It is not new and well mastered, but it may seem like a challenge if in one space you need to see the commonality in “The Procession in Kursk Province” by Ilya Repin and “The Presentation of the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir” of the 17th century, the hysterically sentimental “Troika” by Vasily Perov and the angelically serene “Holy Trinity” by Paisius, “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich (they brought a late author’s copy) and “The Last Judgment” from a Novgorod letter. But how interesting it is to notice this commonality, abandoning the habit of believing that the entire 19th and even more so the 20th century of Russian painting is not about God, but about his idea, not about sincere faith, but about doubts and denials! If the exhibition does not convince otherwise, it corrects established ideas. Familiar paintings, transferred from the crowded halls of the Tretyakov Gallery to the high and harmonious space designed by the bright genius of Lorenzo Bernini - the space of the Charlemagne wing of St. Peter's Basilica, seem more solemn and significant than in their permanent place of residence, and are understood differently.
Ivan Kramskoy. "Christ in the Desert" 1872. Photo: State Tretyakov Gallery
Russian painting, considered truthfully descriptive and socially sensitive, in its sincerity and seriousness turns out to be spiritually and emotionally closer to icon painting than modernist painting, which borrowed formal techniques from it. Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s boy, riding a red horse, is not the iconic George slaying the serpent. And the popular print “Trinity” by Natalia Goncharova does not know the harmony of unity. But the heavens from the Russian landscape itself - “Above Eternal Peace” by Isaac Levitan - are not empty, and sitting in the center of the hall, “Christ in Prison,” a brilliantly ingenuous Perm wooden sculpture, mourns, it seems, along with the exhausted Dostoevsky from Perov’s portrait and as if with his back feels Vrubel's Demon immersed in thought.
The exhibition begins with several beautiful icons, with the promised title of the exhibition “The Crucifixion” of Dionysius, after which suddenly appear “Behold the Man” and “Calvary” by Nikolai Ge, once considered almost blasphemous. But this transition does not feel unjustified. After all, the main Russian paintings are the same speculation in colors, expression in images of what fills the soul, and doubts are part of faith. The finale of the “Russian Way” is indicated by a large and bright icon “He rejoices in you,” painted five centuries ago, and not by Malevich’s “Black Square.” The exhibition in the papal state obviously could not end there. But it will stay in the Vatican for three months, and then the main paintings will return to their place, and we will live with them and think about them. And the experience of the “Russian Way” can help in these reflections.
Vatican Museums
Russian way. From Dionysius to Malevich
Until February 16, 2019