Mixed Media Conservation and Restoration Laboratory

The Russian Museum possesses one of the most complete collection of the works fulfilled in the so-called "mixed media".

In the end of the 19th century Russian artists experimented in combining different techniques in one work to broaden rich stores of artistic means, but in the time of revolution and post-revolution changes (in the beginning of the 20th century) different and sometimes incredible material combinations were used because this store had fallen into decline. Inaccessibility of paints, canvases and paper of high quality led to the fact that sacking or paper substituted for traditional to the oil painting canvas, newspaper was used instead of paper, plywood - instead of cardboard "bistrolle", and as a result the museum has a big quantity of works whose safety could not be guaranteed at the beginning. Even under conditions of strict limitations Russian avant-garde of 1920-1930s had not left the road of experimenting, bringing in pictorial works such materials as sand, resin, plaster, potalle, foil etc. Besides mentioned above the monuments groups the Russian Museum owns (in the folk art fund) a big quantity of folk painting (Fedoskino, Palekh) and tin signboards just as the museum's Old Russian art fund has in its collection paintings fulfilled in the technique of glue and tempera painting on canvas. The museum collection of fresco copies from Old Russian churches is also unique, some of these works did not reach today audience in original. Paint layer of copies that were made usually on paper by famous Russian artists and leading copyists consists of water-color, gouache and tempera, but often includes various "improvised material" - such as lime, sand, brick crumb. These monuments also need solving some non-traditional conservation problems.

Every exhibit made in "mixed" (or non-traditional) media has many specific peculiarities, and on that ground requires careful studying and individual method of approach to the problem solving concerning the way of conservation and experimental searches.

There were restored the works like the sketch of the famous painting "The pool" by V.Borisov-Musatov (oil and tempera on canvas), "Portrait of E.P.Oliv" by V.Serov (water-color and pastel on cardboard), "Tsar's hunting" by the same artist (tempera and gouache on paper), sketches to theater performances by S.Sudeykin, A.Exter and N.Sapunov (canvas, cardboard, oil, gouache, pastel, potalle), series of Crimean landscapes by P.Kuznetsov (oil on cardboard), paintings by I.Bruni, B.Anisfeld, N.Roerich, A.Golovin, M.Vrubel, oil sketches on paper by V.Vedernikov, collages by modern artists.