Category: Architecture

  • 16-Year-Old Russian Artist Lands Vogue Cover With Billie Eilish Drawing

    16-Year-Old Russian Artist Lands Vogue Cover With Billie Eilish Drawing

    A 16-year-old artist from Russia has become the youngest person to draw a Vogue digital cover with her portrait of American pop singer Billie Eilish. Eilish herself reportedly hand-selected Nastya Kovtun, who hails from the central Russian city of Chaykovsky, to draw her likeness for the March cover story. Kaylee Yang, a 20-year-old fan from…

  • Dali’s Magic Art in Moscow

    Dali’s Magic Art in Moscow

    “Salvador Dali: Magic Art” at Manege Central Exhibition Hall is the first comprehensive exhibition of the famous Spaniard in Russia. The Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg and “The Link of Times” Foundation (both belong to billionaire Viktor Vekselberg) brought to Moscow more than 180 works from different periods of Dali’s life — not just his…

  • ‘The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921’

    ‘The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921’

    In January Eric Lee came to Moscow to present the Russian translation of his book, “The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921.” This followed the Georgian translation that was released the previous year. At Memorial International, Lee discussed his book with Russian and Georgian scholars, many of whom knew virtually nothing about the history he reported.…

  • Russian Director Is an Oscar Hopeful

    Russian Director Is an Oscar Hopeful

    HOLLYWOOD—Daria Kashcheeva is the year’s shining star of the international film festival circuit. Her stop-motion animated picture “Daughter” has won accolades in every competition it has entered, totaling more than three-dozen awards. The native of Tajikistan, whose family settled in the Russian city of Valdai, between St. Petersburg and Moscow, has already captured awards in…

  • McDonald’s in Russia Turns 30

    McDonald’s in Russia Turns 30

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Moscow Museums Mark 75th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation

    Moscow Museums Mark 75th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation

    This week the world has been commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration and death camp. In Moscow, the solemn date was observed with the opening of two exhibitions that make the past vividly real with stories, artifacts, and art. “This Is Personal: Items from Concentration Camps” at Memorial International Envisioned…

  • Frozen: Capturing the Beauty of Siberia in Winter

    Frozen: Capturing the Beauty of Siberia in Winter

    While the European parts of Russia are enjoying milder temperatures this season, the winds of winter have fully arrived in eastern Siberia. In Russia’s republic of Sakha, for example, the daytime temperature reached a frigid minus 33 degrees Celsius. Undeterred by the bitter cold, residents have come up with their own unique ways to celebrate…

  • On This Day in 1860 Anton Chekhov Was Born

    On This Day in 1860 Anton Chekhov Was Born

    On an October night in 1896, a young playwright found himself living his worst nightmare. The audience was booing the first act of his new play, his leading lady had become so anxious that she lost her voice, and the critics were already penning vicious reviews. In the following days and weeks, the playwright denounced…

  • Joseph Brodsky Museum Set to Open in St. Petersburg

    Joseph Brodsky Museum Set to Open in St. Petersburg

    ST. PETERSBURG — After years of negotiations and fundraising efforts, the Joseph Brodsky Museum is finally set to open in the poet’s hometown. The memorial museum will be housed in the kommunalka, or communal apartment, at 24 Liteiny Prospekt where the Nobel laureate lived with his parents before his forced emigration in 1972.  The museum’s…

  • The Beet Goes On

    The Beet Goes On

    Beets are a lot like Russia. From the outside, beets can appear distinctly unappealing, particularly if they are encrusted with globs of dirt, lolling about in vegetable crates looking misshapen and awkward. This is how I first encountered them in my neighborhood “Produkty” store in Moscow around 1994. Any flicker of interest I had in…

  • Young People Take Back Soviet ‘Kommunalkas’

    Young People Take Back Soviet ‘Kommunalkas’

    Sergey, 24, removes a plate caked in sausage grease from an overflowing sink before he starts brushing his teeth. Bugs skitter over the forks and spoons left in the bottom. He rinses his well-used toothbrush and shoves it in the back pocket of his shorts.  There is no washbasin in this apartment — only one…

  • The Poet and the Lady: Voznesensky and Kennedy

    The Poet and the Lady: Voznesensky and Kennedy

    “The Poet and the Lady” is an exhibition devoted to the unlikely friendship between the Russian poet Andrei Voznesensky and American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The exhibition is at the Voznesensky Center, a relatively new addition to the Moscow museum scene, which has the mission of not just telling the story of Andrei Voznesensky, but…

  • Who Is Olga Lyubimova, Russia’s New Culture Minister?

    Who Is Olga Lyubimova, Russia’s New Culture Minister?

    On Tuesday evening, Russia’s new Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the members of his cabinet. Vladimir Medinsky, who served as the culture minister for the past eight years, was let go and Olga Lyubimova appointed in his place. She had served as deputy minister and was the head of the cinematography department. Today it was…

  • Decembrist Blockbuster Splits Film Critics

    Decembrist Blockbuster Splits Film Critics

    Just before the New Year’s holidays Russian filmmakers released their best bets for vacation blockbusters. One of the most promising films was “The Union of Salvation,” a lush, cast-of-thousands, historical saga that tells the story of the Decembrists, young Russian noblemen who organized a revolt against the monarchy in December 1825. Directed by Andrei Kravchuk…

  • Russians Take a Frozen Dip to Celebrate Epiphany

    Russians Take a Frozen Dip to Celebrate Epiphany

    Every year on Jan. 19, Russians across the country briefly submerge themselves in ice-cold lakes and rivers to celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, or the feast of the Epiphany. The Orthodox Christian tradition has become popular among non-believers too, as it’s commonly believed that a quick ice bath can be good…

  • ‘We Are Building Capitalism!’

    ‘We Are Building Capitalism!’

    “Do you want to go to Russia?” When Robert Stephenson, a senior civil servant in the U.K. was asked this question in February 1992, he had no idea how it would change his life. But he immediately said, “Yes” and only after a moment asked the more important question: “Why?” The “why” turned out to…

  • From the Archive: A Real Russian Winter From the 90s

    From the Archive: A Real Russian Winter From the 90s

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Immersive Pushkin-Themed Park to Open in St. Petersburg in 2023

    Immersive Pushkin-Themed Park to Open in St. Petersburg in 2023

    St. Petersburg is set to open a sprawling, immersive theme park that will bring iconic Russian writer Alexander Pushkin’s fairy tales and poems to life in 2023. Considered the founder of modern Russian literature, Pushkin wrote some of Russia’s most famous fairy tales and epic poems and remained popular through Soviet times and into the…

  • Belarussian Writer Alexievich Starts All-Women Publishing House

    Belarussian Writer Alexievich Starts All-Women Publishing House

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Soviet Film Director Konstantin Bromberg Dies at 80

    Soviet Film Director Konstantin Bromberg Dies at 80

    Soviet and Russian filmmaker Konstantin Bromberg — director of the children’s cult movies “The Adventures of the Robot Electronic” and “Wizards” — died in the United States at the age of 80 on Jan. 10. This was announced by Mikhail Idov, Russian director and screenwriter, on his Facebook page. Bromberg spent his last years in…

  • The Best Art Innovation: Mobile Theater

    The Best Art Innovation: Mobile Theater

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Best Art Scandal: Moscow Art Biennale

    The Year’s Best Art Scandal: Moscow Art Biennale

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Best in Art Collectors and Their Works

    The Year’s Best in Art Collectors and Their Works

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Best in Music Festivals

    The Year’s Best in Music Festivals

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • ‘Chernobyl’ Scores Best Miniseries Golden Globe

    ‘Chernobyl’ Scores Best Miniseries Golden Globe

    BEVERLY HILLS–The victor was “Chernobyl” at the 77th annual Golden Globe awards as it bested its competitors in the best limited series or motion picture made for television category. Its writer and creator Craig Mazin accepted the Globe before an audience of film and television stars at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Sunday night. Stellan Skarsgard…

  • Best Retrospective: Vasily Polenov

    Best Retrospective: Vasily Polenov

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Most Daring Art Heist: Arkhip Kuindzhi’s “Ai-Petri”

    The Year’s Most Daring Art Heist: Arkhip Kuindzhi’s “Ai-Petri”

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Best in Cinema: “The Frenchman”

    The Year’s Best in Cinema: “The Frenchman”

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • 2020: The Year in Culture

    2020: The Year in Culture

    The Russian Ministry of Culture has named 2020 as the year of Memory and Glory, and also dedicated it to the 150th anniversary of the birth of writer Ivan Bunin; the year of traditional crafts; the year of intellectual property and inventiveness, and the year of fathers. How these themes will be brought to life…

  • Miniature Miracles: Russian Painted Lacquer Boxes

    Miniature Miracles: Russian Painted Lacquer Boxes

    Painted lacquer boxes are one of Russia’s most typical crafts, found in rows on vendors’ tables next to the matryoshka dolls and wooden toys. You might think of them as another mass-produced souvenir for the tourists — but you’d be wrong. These boxes with miniature paintings of landscapes, fairy tales and scenes from Russian literature…

  • Moscow Is Ready to Celebrate the New Year

    Moscow Is Ready to Celebrate the New Year

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Best in Cinema: ‘The Humorist’ Directorial Debut

    The Year’s Best in Cinema: ‘The Humorist’ Directorial Debut

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Year’s Most Scandalous Film: ‘Text’

    The Year’s Most Scandalous Film: ‘Text’

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Savory Kutiya for Kolodia and Christmas

    Savory Kutiya for Kolodia and Christmas

    Pity poor Russian Christmas! Russian Christmas is the poor relation in the winter holiday line-up. In the Orthodox world, Easter has always loomed liturgically larger than Christmas, particularly so in northern countries, where the return of spring is always welcomed with particular fervor. Thanks to the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, Orthodox Christmas…

  • From the Archive: New Year’s in 90s Moscow, in Photos

    From the Archive: New Year’s in 90s Moscow, in Photos

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • The Hottest New Year’s Parties in Moscow

    The Hottest New Year’s Parties in Moscow

    Moscow starts celebrating New Year’s Eve early. The Moscow Times picked only the best parties, where you can dress up, listen to some great music or rave till the break of dawn.  VEU 2020: December 28 VEU stands for “Evening of Esthetic Joys” as it’s organized by a promo group called Esthetic Joys, responsible for one…

  • Popular Sovremennik Theater Director Volchek Dies at 86

    Popular Sovremennik Theater Director Volchek Dies at 86

    Galina Volchek, the director of Sovremennik — one of Moscow’s most popular theaters — has died aged 86 on Thursday. Volchek made her stage debut in 1956, when she and other rebellious young actors co-founded the Sovremennik. She headed the theater since 1972 and was named its artistic director in 1989. Volchek’s cause of death…

  • Here’s How Russia Celebrated Christmas Eve (in Photos)

    Here’s How Russia Celebrated Christmas Eve (in Photos)

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Russian Jews Сelebrate Hanukkah Across the Country

    Russian Jews Сelebrate Hanukkah Across the Country

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • In Russia, Church Bells Ring Out at Raves

    In Russia, Church Bells Ring Out at Raves

    Philipp Gorbachev is one of the first Russian electronic artists who became popular in the West. At the age of 30 he was at the peak of success, making a good living off his music. But one day he realized it wasn’t enough. “I felt a need to live in a state of prayer,” he…

  • 5 Best Events in Moscow’s ‘Journey to Christmas’ Fest

    5 Best Events in Moscow’s ‘Journey to Christmas’ Fest

    Every year the center of Moscow turns into an enchanted holiday village, with tunnels of light, forests of decorated pine trees, streetlights transformed into chandeliers, and streets cleared of cars and filled with people. Music and the scent of hot mulled wine and holiday treats waft through the air. This year the festival runs from…

  • 5 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in St. Petersburg

    5 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in St. Petersburg

    Visit Palace Square On Dec. 22 Grandfather Frost makes his first stop on the holiday train in St. Petersburg, where he lights the enormous tree on Palace Square that is both the symbol and the heart of the holiday season. On New Year’s Eve, the square is filled with music, special events, a light show…

  • Russian Ballet’s Use of Blackface Ignites Online Controversy

    Russian Ballet’s Use of Blackface Ignites Online Controversy

    Prominent African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland’s criticism of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow for its use of blackface has prompted a heated online debate and a strong rebuke from the world of Russian ballet. Copeland, who in 2015 became the American Ballet Theater’s first black female principal ballerina, highlighted “the reality of the ballet world”…

  • Notable Deaths in Russia in 2019

    Notable Deaths in Russia in 2019

    This year Russians mourned the lost of many fellow citizens who played great roles in the public life of the country. The arts were particularly hard hit this year, beginning on Jan. 1 with the death of singer and songwriter Kris Kelmi at the age of 63. Kelmi was a well-known pop singer and performer…

  • Best New Band: Shortparis

    Best New Band: Shortparis

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • International Ded Moroz Convention Comes to Moscow’s VDNKh

    International Ded Moroz Convention Comes to Moscow’s VDNKh

    The New Year is one of the most popular holidays in the world — and the biggest celebration of the year in Russia. The closer it comes, the more events there are. Ded Moroz, the Slavic version of Santa Claus, is a character synonymous with the Russian New Year. Last weekend, Ded Morozes from around…

  • Judith Heneghan’s Novel ‘Snegurochka’

    Judith Heneghan’s Novel ‘Snegurochka’

    “Something terrible is happening here. Something terrible has already happened.”  “Snegurochka” follows Rachel, a troubled young English mother who joins her journalist husband on his first foreign posting in the city to Kyiv in 1992 as the country is wracked by uncertainty and upheaval after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Her difficulties expose her…

  • Old Moscow and St. Petersburg Through an American Photographer’s Lens

    Old Moscow and St. Petersburg Through an American Photographer’s Lens

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Moscow’s Controversial, Unforgettable ‘Luzhkov-Style’ Architecture

    Moscow’s Controversial, Unforgettable ‘Luzhkov-Style’ Architecture

    Yury Luzhkov, who died Tuesday at the age of 83, served as the mayor of Russia’s capital for 18 years from 1992-2010. During that time, the city’s appearance underwent the dramatic transformation from stern Soviet capital to glitzy, modern mega-metropolis. Today, it is impossible to walk through Moscow without stumbling upon the so-called “Luzhkov-style” buildings…

  • Swim Season Opens in December

    Swim Season Opens in December

    At 11 a.m. Lyubov Chesnokova, 62, and her husband Alexei, 56, put on heavy socks, sweaters, coats, boats, hats, gloves and scarves and head out to the banks of the Voronezh River. The sun is shining but it is cold, as it should be in a real Russian winter. The couple strips down to bathing…

  • ‘Chernobyl’ Nabs 4 Golden Globe Nominations

    ‘Chernobyl’ Nabs 4 Golden Globe Nominations

    HOLLYWOOD — “Chernobyl” captured Golden Globe nominations Monday in every category it entered, including the best television category.  The highly acclaimed HBO miniseries was nominated for best television limited series or motion picture made for television. The show’s leading actors also received recognition, with Jared Harris nominated for best actor, Emily Watson for best supporting…

  • 2,000 Russian Santa Clauses Are Coming to Town

    2,000 Russian Santa Clauses Are Coming to Town

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Russian Gallery Puts Stickers Over Nude Art

    Russian Gallery Puts Stickers Over Nude Art

    An art gallery in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg has censored nude paintings over what organizers called parents’ concerns for children, the 360 TV news channel reported. The five-day art exhibition displayed a painting of the naked Roman goddess Venus with a small curtain covering her entire body below the shoulders. Stickers were also strategically…

  • ‘Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories’

    ‘Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories’

    Professor Michael Khodarkovsky’s “Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories” seems to prove Rudyard Kipling’s theory that” if history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” “Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories” distills one of the more complex, thorny, dystopian and tragic eras of history into a…

  • Moscow’s Magical Chinese Lantern Festival, in Photos

    Moscow’s Magical Chinese Lantern Festival, in Photos

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Music and More Awarded in Moscow

    Music and More Awarded in Moscow

    November is one of the awards months in the Russian capital, starting with the Snob magazine “Made in Russia” awards on Nov. 13. Held for the eighth time at the Malaya Bronnaya Theater, the “Made in Russia” prize is awarded to the best thing that has happened in the country in a year in the…

  • Moscow Tears Down Historic Soviet Cinema

    Moscow Tears Down Historic Soviet Cinema

    As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

  • Writer and Historian Robert K. Massie, Dead at 90

    Writer and Historian Robert K. Massie, Dead at 90

    On Dec. 2 Robert K. Massie, author and historian of Europe and pre-Revolutionary Russia, passed away in Irvington, New York at the age of 90. The cause was complications associated with Alzheimer’s. Massie’s works on Russian, European and military history sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. He began his literary career with “Nicholas and…

  • On This Day in 1934 Sergei Kirov Was Killed

    On This Day in 1934 Sergei Kirov Was Killed

    On Dec. 1, 1934 Sergei Kirov, Party boss of Leningrad, was gunned down as he left his office. In the Soviet Union, this case turned out to be like the Kennedy assassination in the U.S.: a charismatic leader murdered in his prime by a lone assassin, whose death would burnish his memory and go on…

  • ‘The Connection’ by Daniil Kharms

    ‘The Connection’ by Daniil Kharms

    Daniil Kharms was born Daniil Ivanovich Yuvachyov in St. Petersburg in 1905. His father, a former member of the revolutionary group The People’s Will who had been imprisoned and exiled in his younger years, was a professor of philosophy. Kharms first went to school in Tsarskoye Selo and then attended the German Peterschule, where he…