Realizing the importance of preserving the historical memory of the Bolshoi Theatre and its outstanding performances, famous performers, musicians, artists, in the first half of the XIX century at the Moscow office of the Imperial Theatres was founded the collection of archival materials, including posters and program books of the performances.
In 1918 the Directorate and the Department of the State Academic Theatres decided to create a special theatrical museum in order to store not only documentary, but also artistic and material artifacts. Since then the collection has continued to grow to include everything related to the history of theatre, the archives of performing arts companies, foundation and renovation of the building at the Theatre Square. A parallel educational work among the admirers of opera and ballet was also held. In 1921, in the halls of the Bolshoi’s dress circle the first exposition was opened, and visitors who came to the performance could see it "every day during the intermission", as it was stated in a sign at the entrance. Fyodor Fedorovsky, who for years served as chief artist of the theatre, was one of the founders of this museum.
Today, being a department of the Bolshoi Theatre, the museum serves as traditional Russian museum, accomplishes the tasks of storing, studying, preservation of funds and promotion of musical theatre art. However, unlike the others, it has its own distinguishing features: the museum is inextricably linked with the current life of the theatre and meets its everyday interests. Over time, the Museum has become a major research center. Many famous writers, art critics, musicologists, theatre critics, journalists studied the collected materials and relied on them in their studies. Their foreign colleagues also work with archives of the Museum of the Bolshoi Theatre.
Nowadays, the museum funds include more than two hundred thousand significant historical and artistic monuments and documentaries. Among the exhibits are the costumes and scenery sketches, mock-ups of performances of XIX-XXI centuries, costumes and personal belongings of prominent artists, the elements of props, photographs, posters, sculptures and sculpture portraits of theatre figures, manuscripts, drawings and lithographs of the Bolshoi Theatre buildings of different periods, and much more besides. Each exhibit has its own features and unique items, which have no analogues in other theatrical collections of our country.
A collection of scenery and costumes sketches for the productions of the Bolshoi Theatre is of exceptional interest. It includes works by internationally renowned masters of theatrical art. In different times Alexander Golovin, Konstantin Korovin, Apollinary Vasnetsov, Vasily Polenov, Alexander Benois, Eugene Lancere, Boris Kustodiev, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Feodor Fedorovsky, Simon Virsaladze, Boris Messerer collaborated with the Bolshoi Theatre.
The museum stores a unique collection of costumes, made by famous theatre artists. Many costumes of this collection belonged to the brightest stars performing on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, including Feodor Chaliapin, Catherine Geltser, Antonina Nezhdanova, Galina Ulanova, Sergei Lemeshev, Ivan Kozlovsky, Maya Plisetskaya, Irina Arkhipova, Ekaterina Maximova, Vladimir Vasiliev. Almost completely preserved theatre wardrobe of Leonid Sobinov takes up a significant place in this collection. A collection of memorial items are also associated with the names of famous theatrical figures. There are the gospel of Mikhail Glinka, fans of Maria Taglioni, Anna Pavlova, Antonina Nezhdanova, a casket for make-up of Maria Maksakova, piano of Vera Dulova, signed by Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, Alexander Melik-Pashayev.
In the manuscript collection of the museum are stored autographs of outstanding Russian composers - Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Alexander Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninov, Dmitri Shostakovich.
The iconographic collection always causes an increased interest. Fund of pictorial, graphic and sculptural works is represented by the works of Robert Falk, Vasily Efanov, Alexander Gerasimov, Yuri Pimenov, Alexander Fonvizin, Boris Chaliapin, Irakly Toidze, Ilya Glazunov, Boris Fredman-Klyuzel, Elena Jansson-Manizer, Natalia Danko, Fyodor Fiveisky.
Another incredible resource is a collection of photos. Naturally, an image obtained with the help of the camera has exceptionally documentary precision. However, talent of the person, standing behind the camera, is able to transform a photo into a true object of art. The Bolshoi Theatre Museum holds unique collection of photos and negatives. Among the exhibits there are works of Russian theatrical photographers rightfully considered the classical authors - Karl Fischer, Mikhail Sakharov, Adolf (Abram) Gornshteyn, Evgeny Umnov, Georgy Soloviov. The most valuable part of the collection is photos of the 1860 - 1910s.
The Bolshoi Theatre Museum hosts temporary exhibition in the halls of the theatre lobby. Among exhibits are objects dedicated to outstanding directors and performers of the theatre, the most famous performances. The museum takes an active part in organization of exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
One of the recent collaboration is the monumental exhibition "Fedor Fedorov. The legend of the Bolshoi Theatre "(1.04 - 08.08.2014), hold in The State Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val. It was the first exhibition of the outstanding artist, a student of Vrubel and Korovin, the creator of the “grand style”, the designer of over thirty productions of the Bolshoi Theater, including the current repertoire performances of Boris Godunov and The Tsar's bride. It took a whole year for the Museum of the Bolshoi Theatre to prepare this project, with a help and in close cooperation with The State Tretyakov Gallery and the Bakhrushin State Theatre Museum. The Museum edited and published an album on the artist’s heritage, including reproductions of sketches, photographs of scenes from performances and articles on the different stages of his creative life.
The Museum annually participates in major international exhibition projects. The exhibition “From Bolshoi to Belfast: the Theatre of Costume” (16.10 - 25.12.2014), within the cross-cultural program of the Great Britain and Russia, have been prepared in cooperation with the Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg) and exhibited in one of the largest showrooms in Belfast (Northern Ireland).
The Bolshoi Theatre Museum is actively involved in the artistic life of Moscow and other Russian cities. The Museum takes part in the Google Art & Culture project, provides Internet users with the opportunity to get acquainted with the virtual exhibition of the museum, or take a virtual tour on the theater building.
Art. Lebedev Studio