The Museum of Russian Art

I have had this museum on my list for a long time. My first visit was on my own and I brought my sketchbook. My second was with the Urban Sketchers group. It's an old church redesigned as a museum so the architecture is open and airy. When I visited, nesting dolls were the main feature. So many dolls. I appreciated being able to play with some on my own. A special exhibit of botanical mushrooms were an outstanding display of watercolors. In the lower level, the Milkmaids Novela is a wonderful painting. Three milkmaids are enjoying a break from work and huge laugh. It made me so happy I couldn't stop looking at it. There is a parking by lot across the street for free parking and there was also plenty of street parking. Staff was wonderful. So glad I finally visited.

I got super excited when I heard about the nest doll exhibit I had to visit the museum. I enjoy the nesting doll exhibit and had the chance to play with some nesting dolls.The build had three levels to explore. I enjoyed myself and definitely will visit new exhibits. While I was visiting they had a scavenger hunt sheet at the front desk so while exploring I was also hunting

My only full day of sightseeing in the Twin Cities was on a Monday and the museums that I wanted to visit were closed. The Russian Museum of Art was one of the very few places open, so we went here. Housed in a repurposed church, the museum has 2 complete floors and a third that is a walkway around the top of the main atrium. The main floor had lots of art and artifacts showing the early Russian peasant days of their daily lives. The top floor has a very large collection of Soviet era paintings and the basement had a collection of editorial cartoons and focusing on Russian atrocities in Ukraine, along with more modern pieces including sculpture. The gift shop is museum like in its offerings of everything Russian / Soviet.Not the biggest or best museum I've been in, but does a great job for a niche collection. I'm glad I went and thanks for being open on Mondays!

This is a unique one of a kind museum and the only Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) in the United States. Off the beaten path, interesting and eye opening of the trials, lives and triumphs of earlier peasant groups of northern and central Russia; Tatar's, Bashkir's,Turks,Yakut's, Kolkhoz and the like that did the heavy lifting to build Russia. Most minority groups were by force and in camps! Three floors make up this quaint museum. It was very eye opening to me as we didn't learn any of this treatment in our World History classes!! Resilient women made up the vast majority of workers and this museum thru the "Peasant Women of the Russian North:Heritage of a Culture Lost" exhibit tells the intriguing story of these brave women in the face of adversity. Other exhibit rooms feature beautiful indigenous crafts, textiles, paintings, and housewares along with their stories. Paintings are strong in nature and show the determination of these groups of people and their inner circle culture. They have a beautiful gift shop at the end with so many unique one of a kind items not to be missed!

Came for the random art, stayed for the gift shop. From what Ive heard this is ONLY museum in the US dedicated to Russian art and culture (1800s-today), I have to say that the $14 admission is worth it for the gift shop alone. You probably wouldn't come here unless you heard about it from word of mouth, but if you're in Minneapolis I highly suggest a visit at least once. Much of the art and pieces come from 19th century Imperial Russia and the USSR with some neat facts and tidbits from that era. Also some provocative modern art displays that artistically show current events in Ukraine that are more relevant than ever. Bike parking is available at the front if you are coming by that way, and I saw plenty of car parking around streets and the lot across the road. But the gift shop was really cool. A little pricey for some items, personally I wouldn't buy the consumables but for Christmas gifts and ornaments some are awesome. Lot of vintage items like Soviet era mechanical tank clocks (clocks they would put in a tank), space themed ornaments (due to the Space race), and lots of books from Soviet authors that have some nice pictures. I do like the Soviet era bus stops, some are absolutely gorgeous and much nicer than a square with glass that we have in Minneapolis haha. Overall, awesome museum that you have to check at least once.

This place is an absolute gem. It's small but has a nice variety, with a moderate price. First of all, the parking: there is no lot immediately adjacent to the museum. There is some parking along the street, including along what is a frontage road for the highway, but museum visitors can also park in the church lot across the street. We had no line upon entry and the place was fairly empty on a January at midday. The lady at the counter was enthusiastic and friendly as she told us about what was on each floor of the museum. We began wandering on the main floor, through an exhibit of winter traditions in Russia, and continued from there. I especially loved some of their permanent pieces like the Milkmaids (no photograph can do it justice). The museum is forthright about their support of Ukraine, which I much appreciated, and even had an exhibit of pro-Ukraine artwork.A lot of reviews mention the gift shop, as well they should. It's a charming place. Expensive, yes, but the stuff tends to be higher quality and/or unique. They had a lot of imported foods I hadn't seen before. I bought a pottery take on Baba Yaga's chicken-footed house, which I absolutely adore.This is definitely a place I'd visit again as exhibits change, and it'd be great to bring company here from out of town (I should note that the museum is not far away from MSP airport).

Way back in the past I attended a wedding and reception at this location when it still functioned as a church. The church relocated across the street and the building now serves as a tribute to the art of Russia. I find the country to be vast and varied. Too large to dismiss or condemn. So too its art. Sure a significant portion is propaganda or political gamesmanship. But a good portion is stunningly beautiful and is deeply moving to me. In my experience, like people worldwide, there are complex, fascinating and highly intelligent Russians to be found amidst ugliness, thuggery and squalor.Similarly Russian art can be sublime or not depending upon one's point of view. But I urge everyone to make up their own minds and tour these galleries themselves. You might find some pieces that speak to you and possibly your soul.But I am getting much too heavy than I first intended. Whether one breezes through or stops to ponder the displays I hope that you find something worthwhile.

Unique space (a former church) that houses the only North American museum of Russian art and culture, covering the breadth of Russia's history, regions, and former territories. Currently featuring an exhibit of a collection of nesting dolls!

"The work of art is born of the artist in a mysterious and secret way. From him it gains life and being. Nor is its existence casual and inconsequent, but it has a definite and purposeful strength, alike in its material and spiritual life."~Wassily KandinskyWhat a beautifully pleasant surprise if you love art!We were wowed by the permanent collection and a few quite extraordinary pieces like:Milkmaids, Novella, 1962Nikolai N. BaskakovOil on Canvas, 47 x 90Gift of Pam and Jack Safar, 2015The architectural design of the gallery.is beautiful too.-The Museum of Russian Art is the only museum in North America dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Russian art and artifacts.They feature a dynamic rotation of exhibitions providing a gateway to understanding Russia's history, its heritage, and its art through the masterworks of its greatest artists.

My friend and I visited the Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) when we were visiting Minneapolis over Memorial Day weekend a few weeks ago, and it might have been my favorite museum we visited over our three days! The museum was founded by Minnesota Russian art collectors. It has a small permanent collection on the basement floor, a main level that showcases temporary exhibits, and an upper level that houses smaller temporary exhibits. When we visited there were several great exhibits: "Premonition of a Russian Dystopia" an exhibition focused on Soviet artist Geli Korzhev's Mutant Series); "Ukraine Defiant: Paintings by Elene Kalman" (an exhibit of twelve eight-foot-long works on paper by a Ukrainian-born American artist memorializing twelve months of the Russian war in Ukraine); and "Say No to War: Political Cartoons by Ukrainian and Russian Artists" (which is being displayed until the end of the Russian war in Ukraine). TMORA is housed in a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival building that was inspired by a Texas mission in San Antonio, which was a gorgeous space for the art. The museum isn't huge but it's special. Definitely worth a visit!