Description of the attraction
In 1994, the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatrical and Musical Art opened its fifth branch. Each of the branches is a so-called "small museum". Such a small memorial museum was the apartment in which the actors of the Samoilovs lived. A distinctive feature of this museum-apartment is that the museum belongs to a single architectural complex "Nevsky Palace", a famous hotel with an exquisite interior. All the premises of the museum: the rooms in which the Samoilovs lived; living room; an exposition telling about the theatrical culture of St. Petersburg in the 19th and early 20th centuries; exhibition halls. They are decorated with the influence of European culture.
The museum dedicated to the Samoilovs is the first museum in St. Petersburg that tells about the difficult life of a dramatic artist, full of hardships and hardships. The house in which the museum was opened in 1869-1887 belonged to the famous actor Vasily Vasilyevich Samoilov. He comes from a well-known family of actors, was the successor of the family dynasty, played in the Imperial Alexandrinsky Theater. House of V. V. Samoilov was a meeting place for the progressive, creative intelligentsia of that time. Artists, musicians, writers and actors came here.
In the exposition of the museum, you can learn about the amazing fate and life path of an entire acting dynasty, which gave people their art for a whole hundred and fifty years. This dynasty included three generations of actors (thirteen people). The founder of the dynasty was Vasily Mikhailovich Samoilov (1782-1839), who delighted connoisseurs of opera with his talent. His children: Vera, Nadezhda, Vasily repeatedly received a storm of applause on the Alexandria theater stage. Michurina-Samoilova Vera Arkadyevna and Samoilov Pavel Vasilievich belonged to the third generation of artists. The personality of Vasily Vasilyevich Samoilov took deserved attention in the exposition of the museum, his office acquaints visitors with his paintings, photographs, personal belongings and portraits.
Currently, the apartment museum has a definite impact on the cultural life of St. Petersburg. From the first days of its existence, it became the center of the revival of creative traditions and acting skills. It has a place for exhibitions, musical and literary evenings, creative meetings, concerts. The very artistic and creative atmosphere of this place gives an indescribable flavor to the events held.
In addition to expositions dedicated to theater artists, exhibition halls acquaint museum visitors with representatives of another art form. The exposition, which is dedicated to the stars of Russian ballet, traces the entire history of Russian ballet in stages from the first decades of the 19th century to the end of the 80s of the last century. With the help of the rarest exhibits, people who are not alien to art get acquainted in more detail with the work of Marius Petipa, who was the greatest choreographer; Sergei Diaghilev and his Russian Seasons; Agrippina Vaganova and her school. The Soviet, Russian period is dedicated to such ballet stars as T. Karsavina, A. Pavlova, N. Dudinskaya, G. Ulanova, M. Baryshnikov, R. Nureyev and many others, whose work cannot leave indifferent any person who saw their magical art.
For visitors to the museum, there are constant excursions on various topics. The first one tells about the acting dynasty of the Samoilovs and the theatrical life of St. Petersburg in the 19th - 20th centuries. The second is dedicated to the stars of Russian ballet and is accompanied by a video demonstration. The last tour introduces visitors to the founders of the dynasty and the opera house of St. Petersburg.
