The Academy of Fine Arts Museum

The imposing facade of the academy of Fine Arts, facing the Neva river constructed by Alexander Kokorinov and Vallin de la Mothe in 1764-1788 is a brilliant sample of Baroque and Neo-Classical architecture. Still an art school, it exhibits the works of students past and present, including canvases, plaster casts of famous sculptures, architectural drawings and model’s of many of the city’s notable buildings, moreover it features one of the largest Russian libraries that contains more than half a million books and engravings. Founded in 1757 to train home-grown artists, Academy of Fine arts supervised by its first president, Ivan Shuvalov, spawned a great number of prominent artists. The Academy of Fine Arts named after one of its outstanding graduates ,Ilia Repin, is one of the most important scientific centers in Russia where for almost three centuries students are taught the traditional and classical fine art and modern trends that exist throughout the Europe. Nowadays the largest Arts University in Russia comprises 5 departments such as Fine Art, Graphic Arts, Sculpture, Architecture and Art Theory and History and more than a thousand students are inspired to preserve the heritage of Russian history.

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