Krasnoyarsk

• The Krasnoyarsk museum center on Strelka
• The Krasnoyarsk regional museum
• The Krasnoyarsk Surikov museum

The Krasnoyarsk museum center on Strelka

The Krasnoyarsk museum center on Strelka is situated on the place of Krasnoyarsk stockaded town of XVII century.
Nowadays Krasnoyarsk is famous all over the world due to museum biennales and a unique idea of the museum staff. In 1998 the Museum center was awarded by a Special prize of the European Soviet in Strasburg "For the contribution of the European idea development".
The only one in the world contest of museum expositions in the Krasnoyarsk cultural-historical and museum complex on Strelka accept museum representatives, photographers, artists, architects and designers from Russia and other countries. The success of the biennale was mainly provided by the artists, many museum exhibitions look pale when compared to the bright art projects. There are also discussions of well known museum specialists, cultural workers and managers in the sphere of culture except the contest of expositions.

The museum biennales is a real stimulus for development of all Russian museums. As for local museums this is a unique platform for getting professional estimation of their work. Every biennale gives something new to the architectural look of the museum: in 1997 the museum got "the lighting eyes", in 1999 - "the mouth", in 2001 the museum turned into a rhino. The V biennale's peculiarity was a public opening of the Museum night. The museum biennale is always a bright, unforgettable holiday for Krasnoyarsk citizens, an event both of the visual and musical culture: the exposition is usually accompanied by exclusive folk and rock bands. The result of the 3^rd biennale was a CD "The sounds of the Peace square". There are always not less than 50 mass media representatives including foreign companies accredited on every biennale.
Continuing the traditions of Venetian biennales (appeared in 1895), the 1^st Krasnoyarsk world museums festivals with a topic "Future and past in a museum" gathered more than 100 participants from Russian cities, from Great Britain, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan in December 1995. The 2^nd festival "The open museum: Urbi et orbi", which was held in September 1997 took more than 200 Russian and foreign participants.
The programs of each biennale are original and interesting. Every program is devoted to a special topic: "The museums of the world on Mira square", "The art of memory", "A fiction of history", "Moving the values - the value of moving" etc.

Krasnoyarsk has become the museum capital not only of Russia, but of the whole Europe, because the most bold and extravagant ideas are born exactly there.

The Krasnoyarsk regional museum

The Krasnoyarsk regional museum was founded in Yeniseiskaya province on the initiative of Matveevy family.

Nowadays the museum is a valuable object of a regional importance. It possesses one of the largest collections in Russia approximately 450 000 exhibits. The main source of the collection's enrichment is gifts. People who make gifts are presented with an honorable diploma. One of the latest gifts is a collection of the city mayor Smirnov in 1910-1914.

In 2007 the museum got a big number of grants including the 4^th grant of the President of the Russian Federation. The Krasnoyarsk regional museum represents the city and the region on different international conferences, publishes the articles in Russian magazines, issues interesting books, and organizes research expeditions. But the most important activity of the museum is exhibition work.
In 2001 the museum celebrated its 112^th anniversary. This year the museum was opened after a long reconstructive period. It presented an amazing exposition made according to the best world traditions and high technologies which was dedicated to the region's life, mutual influence of cultures, its religious beliefs, priorities of spiritual life and sacrifice. The new content of the museum's halls is highly appreciated by Russian and foreign museum workers.
The topic of contemporary exhibitions reflects important events of the region.The exhibition "Territory and power" which is dedicated to the 185^th anniversary of Yeniseiskaya province and reunion of Krasnoyarsk region shows the influence of administrative reforms on the region's development, the positive effect of uniting process in the history of Siberia and Russia from 1822 to 2007.One of the most important events of the museum's life in recent years was the exhibition named "Daily socialism or Made in USSR". It showed the day to day life of common soviet people in 50-70ies of the XX century. The exposition evokes nostalgia and interest, makes you think about soviet history in another way. Virtual exhibitions have become a common museum genre for Krasnoyarsk citizens and guests of the city.
In 2007 the Krasnoyarsk regional museum launched several new worth visiting exhibitions.

The Krasnoyarsk Surikov museum

The Krasnoyarsk Surikov museum possesses a great collection of the famous Krasnoyarsk artist. The collection includes 78 paintings which represent his artistic work of early and late periods.
There you will be able to see the first independent painting "The view of Peter the Great monument on Senat square", "Boat on the water", "Anfisa's portrait", "The portrait of A.N. Tretyakova", "Baidarskie gates" and others.There are approximately 9 000 objects in the fund of the museum: icons which date back to XVII-XIX centuries, Russian, soviet and foreign paintings, graphic works, sculpture, Russian avant-garde works.The collection of Surikov museum grew up to 4000 objects during the latest years due to various gifts.There are approximately 25 exhibitions held annually in the museum. Among them there are funds from China, Norway, Poland, Holland, Armenia. The museum's exhibitions abroad are also very popular, especially avant-garde works.There is a good tradition to held "Surikovskie readings" once in 2 years.