Radishchev Art Museum, Art museum and cultural center in Saratov, Russia.
The Radishchev Art Museum is an art museum and cultural center in Saratov that displays a wide range of works across different styles and periods. The building itself dates to the 19th century and houses paintings, sculptures, and decorative pieces within its historic walls.
In 1877 Saratov learned that Alexey Bogolyubov, a marine painter living in Paris, wanted to give the city his art collection and found a museum named after his grandfather, the writer Alexander Radishchev. The city delayed, and the building on Teatralnaya Square was only laid in May 1883, designed by I. V. Strom and built under A. M. Salko. Alexander III approved the project and donated paintings; the museum opened on 29 June 1885 and drew 62,000 visitors in its first year.
Bogolyubov named the museum after his grandfather, the 18th-century writer Alexander Radishchev, a choice that required a legal battle with the authorities. The museum's library, begun by Bogolyubov, holds old and modern editions and manuscripts. The Great Hall hosts concerts and literary-artistic evenings, and the lecture hall runs talks on art history.
The museum stands on Teatralnaya Square in central Saratov, in a two-storey stone building designed by Petersburg architect I. V. Strom, with construction supervised by A. M. Salko. The building was laid in May 1883 and its interior finishing took about a year after the shell was complete. Concerts and literary evenings are held in the Large Hall, and lectures on art history are given in the museum's lecture hall.
The museum opened to the public seven years before Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery and fifteen years before the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. Its name honours Alexander Radishchev, the 18th-century writer, and Bogolyubov had to fight a legal battle for permission to use it.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,495 contributors worldwide.