The development of museums from the Kunstkamera to the present day was discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA
The educational lecture "Expositional Russia" took place at the National Centre RUSSIA on April 4. Art historian and architectural historian Yelizaveta Likhacheva and Deputy Director for Educational Activities at the A. V. Shchusev Museum of Architecture Ksenia Smirnova immersed the audience in the world of expositional spaces — from the Kunstkamera to the Museum of Russian Impressionism. The event became the third in a series of educational sessions within the framework of the educational program of the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale".
The experts spoke about how the architecture of Russian museums has changed at different historical stages, how it reflected its time, what kind of experiences it offered people, and how the approaches to shaping museum and expositional spaces and buildings in the country have evolved.
"The theme of expositional Russia is very broad, so we, as museum professionals, decided to focus on the typology of museum buildings and exposition pavilions and ensembles, starting from the 18th century and drawing a thread into the future," explained Ksenia Smirnova, Deputy Director for Educational Activities at the A. V. Shchusev Museum of Architecture.
The first thing a person encounters when entering a museum is the building itself, which is often a work of art in its own right. It may have been specially constructed for hosting expositions and presentations, or it may have its own history, often unrelated to museum work.
"The Kunstkamera is a wonderful monument of the so-called early period of Petrine Baroque in our country — on the one hand, very flat in form, yet at the same time curvilinear. Notably, it was the first European style to appear or manifest itself in Russia, and one that, in such a complete form, is practically absent in Moscow. At the same time, when we look at the building from the outside, we immediately understand that it belongs to a scientific institution, because at the top of the tower we see a symbol of science — an armillary sphere," noted Ksenia Smirnova.
At the same time, scientific work conducted within the museum is one of its most important purposes, believes art historian and architectural historian Yelizaveta Likhacheva.
"In its time, the display items of the Kunstkamera were objects of study. And the older they become, the more valuable they are, because they provide us with important information. In particular, thanks to the Kunstkamera, it is possible not only to understand how people in the 18th century imagined the specifics of the development of human genetic mutations, but also to obtain information about the mutations themselves," emphasized Yelizaveta Likhacheva.
Alongside the changes in museum architecture, the experts discussed the role of Russian emperors in the development of science and art, introduced the audience to current trends in museum practice, and even spoke about how an architect can act as a jeweler.
The audience gained not only new knowledge but also inspiration for further exploration of architecture and art. The lecture concluded with a video presentation of the new building of the National Centre RUSSIA. The opening of the cultural and exposition space of the future is scheduled for 2029, and its construction will begin this summer.
The series of educational events within the architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale" continues. Follow the announcements on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA at russia.ru.
Event photobank
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On April 8 at 11:30 will host the presentation of the results of an initiative study dedicated to the future of architecture.
