Workshops, storerooms, and laboratories

The secret life of Russia's Tretyakov Gallery. A photoseries

The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most visited museums in Russia. A recent display of paintings by Valentin Serov set a new world record for the number of visitors to an exhibition of Russian artwork. The most important part of the museum's life, however, are its research activities and restoration work, which are usually hidden from prying eyes. Meduza presents a new series by Evgeny Alekseev, the Tretyakov Gallery's photographer, capturing the secret life of the museum.

Staff inspect an X-ray of Fyodor Rokotov's “Portrait of an Unknown Man in a Cocked Hat.” (From the early 1770s.)

Staff inspect Kazimir Malevich's “Black Square” (1915). The results of this investigation were published in the book “Kazimir Malevich: Black Square.”

Malevich's Black Square under a binocular microscope.

A museum researcher studies a painting under ultraviolet light.

The ARTAX X-ray fluorescence spectrometer allows researchers to investigate the inorganic pigments in paintings' layers. Using this method, the museum can compare pigment compositions of benchmark pieces to other works.

Restoration work on a painting by Andrei Ivanov (the father of the famous Alexander Ivanov), “Saint Ambrose Denies Theodosius the Great Entrance to the Church” (1829). During the research on this painting, the museum uncovered the original iconography of the story.

Restoration specialist Ivan Salakhov works on Andrei Ivan's “Saint Ambrose Denies Theodosius the Great Entrance to the Church.”

Restoration specialists work on wooden bases and frames.

The museum's integrated research department. In this room, researchers develop the negatives of X-ray analyses.

Parts of Georgy Ostretsov's “War” installation, stored in the museum's archives.

Katrin Krylova works as an archivist at the Tetyakov Gallery's library, which today stores more than 300,000 individual publications.

Staff members move a column of ancient artworks into a depository. The Tretyakov Gallery has works as old as the 11th century.

A bust of Vladimir Lenin, covered and stored away in the sculptures archive.

Parts of vases from the 19th century at the museum's hall for temporary exhibits.

Installing an exhibit by Dmitry Prigov at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val.

Moving the monumental panels of Natalia Goncharova's “The Bathers” (made around 1922) from the permanent exhibition hall at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val into the hall for temporary exhibits. The painting was first displayed to audiences in 2009, after a long and arduous restoration process.

Installing Natalia Goncharova's exhibition. The works are hung on the wall with the help of a laser leveler.

A custodian near paintings by Vasily Pukirev's “The Unequal Marriage” at a videotaping of footage for the “Secrets of Old Paintings” exhibit, which opens at the Tretyakov Gallery's Corps of Engineers building in May 2016.