russia: moscow: new tretyakov gallery

When I 'plan' where I'm going on any given Wednesday part of the planning is figuring out the 'best' way of getting there. I walk if I can, if not, I take metro trains and/or buses. There is almost always at least a little walking involved, which I think is the best way of seeing Moscow. The streets that connect the different parts of the city are fascinating. 
The biggest factor in figuring it all out is time. How long would a walk be? I want to get to a museum before it closes, and before the sun goes down. I'm generally willing to walk a couple hours as long as it isn't raining. 

My end goal for this Wednesday was to see an art museum. I decided to walk the entire way, even though it was snowing and sleeting. Plus the streets were covered in more snow and slush. At one point while walking I saw another lady slip and fall. She was okay, all I could do to help was pick up her bag for her.

While walking I saw a few onion domes and took a slight detour to get closer. It turned out to be a church inside a monastery. I should've taken a photo of the name, as I can't remember it now, and google maps just lists it as 'monastery.'

The walls were red, but every building inside was white. The onion domes on top were a silvery metallic shade. 

The inside of the church wasn't at all exciting, as it was mostly being renovated. The scaffolding was set up in a way that made it seem to be a very low ceiling, I could only see the very lowest level of the iconostasis.

There was a second iconostasis set up on the right side, it was very very gold. Somehow, it was also really really quiet in that area, even though it was the only 'normal' area of the church. I enjoyed a few moments of quiet reflection.

I kept walking, my route took me over a bridge, I was lucky I didn't get covered in the slushy mess being thrown up by the tires of all the traffic.

The gallery I wanted to visit was called the New Tretyakov Gallery, and the permanent exhibition is of 20^th century art. It was easy enough to go through security (if you haven't gone through some sort of security on a day, are you really in Moscow?) then put my bag and coat into coat check.

I got lucky, the day I visited was free ticket day. I don't know if it happens every Wednesday, or just the day I was there, but I was happy to save 500 rubles. I took my ticket and walked up two long flights of stairs to get to the exhibition.

I read online that some of the rooms are closed for renovations, but I didn't feel as if I was missing anything.

It took me over two hours to walk through all the rooms. Even so, at the end I had to rush to get out before the doors were closed and locked. There were a lot of paintings on display, but it never felt too crowded, and I feel like I got plenty of space to appreciate each piece of art.

Most of what was on display was Soviet art, some of it more well known than others. I wouldn't mind going back to see some of the pieces again, even if I had to pay an entry fee. Maybe the other rooms will be fully renovated in the forseeable future, and I can see the pieces I missed.

I know it sounds silly, but I felt like a real adult, appreciating art. When I finally walked out, I felt like I had seen the right amount of art. It was time to call it a day and go home. 
I'll never get to all the museums in Moscow, as there are far too many, but I'm trying. Not only are there heaps of museums, there are even more temporary exhibitions. Sigh, at least I'm trying.