The A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum is a unique phenomenon of the Russian culture. Its foundation was laid with a private collection of the famous Moscow industrialist and patron of arts Alexey Bakhrushin (1865 — 1929) in the mid 1890s.
Today the museum funds boast more than one and a half million exhibits: sketches of stage costumes and scenery of the outstanding scenography masters, photos, portraits and stage costumes of great actors, programs and posters of stage performances, rare editions on drama and theatre, objects of arts and crafts, and plenty of other things. The museum's theatrical collection has become one of the most valuable museum collections of modern Russia. It features works by Bakst, Golovin, Kustodiyev, Dobuzhinsky, Korovin, Yuon, Roerich, Tatlin, Exter, Rodchenko, Popova and other outstanding Russian artists. A rich variety of exhibitions take place in the main building of the Bakhrushin Museum and its numerous branches.
The Bakhrushin Museum is always open for theater lovers — in addition to detailed excursions interesting to both children and adults, the museum holds lectures on the history of the theater with use of unique fund materials, as well as meet-the-actor evenings and recitals.
The museum is housed in the former A.A. Bakhrushin Estate in Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow. The main building of the museum was designed by architect K. Gippius and constructed in 1896. It is a one-storey mansion in the early English gothic style. The decor of Gothic lobby and fragments of the study room interior design have come down to us.
The A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum is located at the address: 31/12, Bakhrushin Street, near Paveletskaya metro station, Moscow.
Author: Vera Ivanova