There was a long line waiting in front of the Pushkin Museum in the early morning. It features a big premier today, a grandiose exhibition titled Shchukin: Biography of a Collection. Fans of art from all over the world came to see the masterpieces of early 20th-century European modernism.
Does it take long to buy a ticket to the museum? Marina Bulyga found out.
People had to come to the Pushkin Museum to save a place in line for themselves an hour before the opening. It's understandable why they want to see the unique collection gathered by Sergey Shchukin and his brothers. It spellbinds you right away. Those who didn't buy tickets in advance have to use hats, sunglasses, and fans made out of newspapers to cool themselves down. It's first come, first served.
"Exhibitions like this one happen very seldom, extremely seldom. This reunion of the Shchukin collection is something very unique. And it's worth any amount of waiting".
"In fact, we came from Kazakhstan to see the Edvard Munch exhibition. We found out that there's such an awesome exhibition completely by accident, and, of course, we couldn't miss it".
There are many people at the staff entrance as well. They have e-tickets. They bought them a few days in advance on the website and came at the specified time. They still have to spend some time in line.
- I came for the 12:30 session. And it's been about 6 minutes since I came here, and I've been standing here. Anyway, I think, it's much faster than buying tickets at the museum.
- We bought four tickets two days ago.
- So, they were available?
- Yes. Yes, it was great. But we didn't expect that we'd have to stand in line.
- Well, as you can see, it's always crowded on the first day of the exhibition.
There are no more e-tickets for today. There are some left for tomorrow. The ticket offices of the museum open at 11:00, and you have to show up at least an hour in advance. Otherwise, you may not get inside after waiting in line. As the museum personnel say, it's hard to predict the peaks of attendance in the summer: they depend on the weather, the dacha (country house) season, and holidays.
Marina Zhuchkova, Visitors Department: "In the summer, many people go to their dachas. Sometimes, peaks happen on Thursday evening and Friday evening. People try to attend the exhibition before going to their dacha".
The first two weeks are the busiest for any exhibition. In the case of the unique Shchukin collection, the agiotage may last up to 3–4 weeks. Moscow residents can wait until the initial flow fades, while the guests of the capital don't have such an opportunity.
"We flew from Paris just for this exhibition. We want to see the paintings by the French artists. Because there's nothing like this in Paris anymore".
"In fact, we came to Moscow for another exhibition. But we heard about this exhibition and decided to come here early in the morning to make sure we'd get in. I think it'll be fantastic".
Nobody else could boast such a great number of French masters. After the Revolution, the Shchukin collection was divided between the Pushkin Museum and the Hermitage. It was reunited for the exhibition in Paris only a few years ago. This reunion of canvasses is likely to be the last one. Some paintings are deteriorating with time, and the art restorers insist on banning them from traveling after the exhibition.
Marina Bulygа, Gennady Talochkin, Alexander Paramoshin, Vesti.
