The Gallery itself is enormous, so if you are a fan of Russian modern art, plan on spending a considerable amount of time here. I was immediately pegged as American, so the woman who collected my ticket pointed me to the Chagall and Kandinsky room. Indeed, both are well represented here with striking canvases, but there is a lot more to see.

Suprematism is often regarded as the high point of Russian modernism, and there are large rooms filled with abstract canvases by Malevich and Tatlin. Black Square, by Malevich, is a painting that had enormous influence on artists, and this sparse painting representing a black square set over a white canvas has a stunning obstinacy amid rooms of electric color.

Works on paper by Rodchenko continue in the Suprematist tradition, while the large canvases and sculptures of Soviet realism offer images of robust working figures that recall the emboldened figures of Michelangelo. Pertov-Vodkin''s Bathing the Red Horse, in the first room of the third-floor galleries, is a Symbolist piece that remains a popular image today.

The gallery was established by a wealthy Russian merchant Pavel Tretyakov in 1856. He and his brother bought most of the paintings in the current collection. The building was recently restored and looks really great. This is one of the largest collections of Russian art in the country. You can find here paintings by such masters as Kiprensky, Repin, Bryullov, Surikov, Chagall, Shishkin, Kramskoy, Levitan, Serov, Kandinsky. One of the largest paintings in the collection is "Appearance of Christ before people" by A. Ivanov which took its painter 20 years to paint and is the size of one of Le Brun’s paintings in Louvre. The amazing thing about this painting that it was always in this collection even during the Soviet regime. Here you will find such masterpieces as "A girl with peaches" by Serov, the girl is so alive, she keeps staring at you from the painting, her eyes keep following you across the room no matter where you stand; Savrasov’s "The rooks are here" is the quintessential image of Russian winter; Shishkin’s famous "Black Bears" that are well-known to every kid in Russia since they became the cover for the chocolate candy; Kiprensky’s portrait of Pushkin; Chagall’s enchanted lovers flying "Above the city" and many, many more. The collection is full of paintings of famous generals, poets, politicians and Tretyakov himself painted by renowned masters. The gallery has a large collection of 19th century Russian paintings and sculptures, a lot of paintings from the Soviet period are presented here as well. There is also a collection of jewelry from 13th through 20th centuries, and Russian art of 12-17th centuries. The gallery has a large collection of icons several of which painted by Theophanes the Greek, and the famous "Trinity" by Andrei Rublyov.

The bulk of the art contained therein belonged to the famous patron of Russian art, Pavel Tretyakov. He began to amass his collection of art during the middle of the 19th Century. Upon his death his collection went to the city of Moscow. A fund was created to maintain the original art and to acquire additional pieces. The end result is arguably the most famous and largest collection of national art in Russia.

Tretyakov, in effect, created what was to become the first museum of art in the country. The art collection boasts a huge collection of Russian icon paintings and also the largest number of works of the famous Itinerant Painters of Russia.

The Itinerant Painters have always been my favorite group of Russian artists. Their ranks include the most brilliant Russian painters. If you visit Russia, do whatever it takes to see the works of these artists first hand. Vasily Perov, Ivan Kramskoi, Grigory Miasoyedov, Vasily Maximov, Nikolai Gay (GHE), Savrasov, Prianishnikov, Savitsky, Repin, Kuinji, Polenov, Yaroshenko, Ivanov, Serov, Vasnetsov, Stepanov, Arkhipov, Kasatkin, and Levitan are among my personal favorites. These immortals of Russian art, along with many others, constituted the courageous band of artists known as the Peredvizhniki (Wandering Artists). These artists insisted on painting realist art. This art glorified Russian life and nature as never before. It must be seen!