Marble Palace (branch of the Russian Museum)

Marble Palace. 1768-1785, architect A. Rinaldi. For the decoration of the exterior facades and interior decoration of the palace, A. Rinaldi for the first time in Russia widely used natural stone - granite and about 30 varieties of marble, for which the palace received its name.

Initially, the palace was intended by Catherine II as a gift to her favorite Grigory Orlov. However, Orlov died before construction was completed. After his death, the palace served as the residence of the Grand Dukes. One of its last owners was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, a famous poet who wrote under the pseudonym "K.R." In the left wing of the palace, in the former chambers of the Grand Duke in the authentic interiors of that time, a memorial exposition "Konstantin Romanov - the poet of the Silver Age" was opened.

In 1994, an equestrian statue of Alexander III was installed in front of the palace, created by sculptor P. Trubetsky. In the halls of the Marble Palace there are permanent expositions of the museum - "Foreign artists in Russia of the XVIII-XIX centuries", "Collection of St. Petersburg collectors of the Rzhevsky brothers" and "Museum of Ludwig in the Russian Museum" - the only permanent exhibition of Russian art of the XX century in Russia, which makes it possible to trace the development of Russian art in the context of world artistic culture. It also hosts exhibitions of works by contemporary foreign and Russian artists, including those representing the latest trends in art.