Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg
Calling all art lovers in St. Petersburg! If you have already visited the Hermitage (Эрмитаж) and the Russian Museum (Русский музей), it’s time to cross the bridge over to Vasilyevsky Island (Васильевский остров) and take a look inside Erarta Museum and Gallery of Contemporary Art (Музей и галерея современного искусства “Эрарта”). Here you can view the largest private art collection in all of Russia.
With galleries in New York, London, Zurich and Hong Kong, the Russian headquarters of Erarta opened its doors in 2010 and is situated in a grand building on Vasilyevsky Island. The company aims to promote Russian art on a global scale and find room for it in art scenes all over the world. Tickets to the permanent collection are only 150 roubles for anyone under 21 and there are often free temporary exhibitions. What makes Erarta different to some of the more traditional Russian art museums in St. Petersburg is that visitors are actually encouraged to take their own photographs of the artwork, then share it online to enhance the cultural experience.
Featured in Erarta are a wide range of interactive installations, sculptures, paintings, literature, films and 3D creations. The museum is also a cultural centre that hosts exhibitions, conferences and film screenings. Erarta aims to promote contemporary Russian art and its current collection contains 2300 works by over 150 artists from all over the country, spread across 5 floors. In my opinion, some of the most interesting pieces cleverly mix modern and classical design to create a new perspective of Russia. So don’t miss your chance to experience modern Russian art for yourself.
