One of the best traditions in Russia was investing in culture by those, whose activity was in some other field. Pavel Tretyakov & his brother Sergei were Russian merchants. They had some factories & were successful in their trade. The love for art began growing in the brothers since the very childhood. Being a well-to-do merchant, Tretyakov decided to found a national gallery for Russian people. It was in 1860.

The building, standing opposite the southern walls of the Kremlin, beyond the Moskwa River, was built at the beginning of the 20th century from a design by the famous Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov, a connoisseur [знаток] of old Moscow. After the reconstruction in 1995 the gallery became a very large art place. Here the visitors can see Andrei Rublew's Trinity (1422-1427), masterpieces of the 18-19th centuries. Among the painters whose works are exhibited in the gallery I'd like to mention Kramskoi (1837-1887). His portraits of Leo Tolstoy, Nekrasov & an "Unknown Woman" attracted great attentions. I.Levitan (1860-1900) was famous for his landscapes. Being fond of Russian nature he reproduced it in paintings well-known & dear to everybody. Aivazovski & Levitan founded a school of realistic landscape painting. One of Repin's pictures is "They Didn't Expect Him".

V.Serov. He was taught by Repin. Then Levitan, Surikov & Vrubel taught him the technique of colours, the value of responding to a personal emotional experience. He became very famous. His paintings "Girl in Sunlight", "Girl with Beaches" made him known in the world.

V.Surikov (1848-1916) is represented in Tretyakov Gallery by his "Boyaryinia Morozova" & "Menshikov at Beriozov", "Norming of the Execution of the Streltsy". He is considered to be a historical artist. Many more painters are represented in the Gallery.