58. The Marble Palace
The Marble Palace is yet another branch of the State Russian Museum. It's located along the Neva River on the Palace Embankment, just to the west of the southern terminus of Trinity Bridge, and opens onto the Field of Mars to the south. The Palace was built in the 1760s-1780s as a gift from Catherine the Great to Count Grigory Orlov. It was used as a residence by various members of the royal family until the state confiscated it following the Russian Revolution. The palace takes its name from the 32 different varieties of marble that were used in the building.
The northern half of the second floor is where the restored palace rooms are located. This is the only section of the palace (in addition to the grand staircase on all four floors) that retains its original 18th century grandeur. The rest of the rooms in other sections of the palace are in good shape but have not been decorated in the original style. The Marble Hall is truly spectacular, and competes with any room at the Hermitage for the title of "most extravagant room in St. Petersburg". Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed inside to truly enjoy its magnificence; one must peer into the room through the doorway.
The southern half of the second floor and the third floor showcase two permanent exhibits: the Ludwig Museum 20th century art and the Rzhevskiy Brothers collection. These world-class collection includes paintings, drawings, and sculpture by Warhol, Basquiat, Lichtenstein, Picasso, as well as many other American, European, and Russian artists.
The fourth floor features a temporary exhibit called "Structures" that includes many paintings and sculptures examining the theme of form, line, and shape. These were abstract, geometric, and many were "futuristic". I quite enjoyed this exhibit.
In my opinion, Erarta edges out the Marble Palace as a modern and contemporary art museum, due to the larger exhibits and focus solely on Russian artists. Nevertheless, the Marble Palace houses world class collections in a beautiful historic building in the city center. I'm not sure if this is exactly a hidden gem, but the crowds were sparse at the height of the tourist season and I've not heard as many people talking about the Marble Palace as I have about the decidedly less conveniently located Erarta. So, this has been one of my more pleasant discoveries of an under-the-radar institution.
The southern half of the second floor and the third floor showcase two permanent exhibits: the Ludwig Museum 20th century art and the Rzhevskiy Brothers collection. These world-class collection includes paintings, drawings, and sculpture by Warhol, Basquiat, Lichtenstein, Picasso, as well as many other American, European, and Russian artists.
The fourth floor features a temporary exhibit called "Structures" that includes many paintings and sculptures examining the theme of form, line, and shape. These were abstract, geometric, and many were "futuristic". I quite enjoyed this exhibit.
In my opinion, Erarta edges out the Marble Palace as a modern and contemporary art museum, due to the larger exhibits and focus solely on Russian artists. Nevertheless, the Marble Palace houses world class collections in a beautiful historic building in the city center. I'm not sure if this is exactly a hidden gem, but the crowds were sparse at the height of the tourist season and I've not heard as many people talking about the Marble Palace as I have about the decidedly less conveniently located Erarta. So, this has been one of my more pleasant discoveries of an under-the-radar institution.
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