Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Petrovka Location) - Moscow - TravBuddy

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMoMA) is divided into three locations on Petrovka street, 25/1; Ermolaevsky lane, 17 and Tverskoy boulevard, 9. This review, on the Petrovka Gallery, is the first of three review series on the MMoMA.

The Petrovka MMoMA is on Petrovka Ul (Ul = Street), just around the corner from Plaza Petrovskiye Vorota (this is where Strastnoy Blvd and Petrovsky Blvd meet).

If you are not paying attention you could easily walk past the small museum directly across the street from two major churches. Keep you eyes open though and you'll spot a giant metal statue of what looks to be the Virgin Mary looming above a small enclosed courtyard.

Enter the courtyard through an unassuming doorway and you'll find yourself in the museum's sculpture garden. In the sculpture garden you can stroll through an array of interesting, larger then life, metal figurines depicting everything from Don Quixote to Russian workers. The sculpture garden is free of charge and I'd recommend a quick stop if you are passing by the museum. Even if they don't want to enter the museum itself, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 20 minutes you spend in the sculpture garden. Honestly, I think the courtyard was my favorite part of the museum.

The real modern art lovers will of course enter the museum paying the measly $8 fee(foreigner price) without a shrug. The really real modern art lovers will pay the additional $6 to take pictures and the really really real modern art lovers will pay the additional fee ($4-$8) to enter the temporary exhibition. I guess that makes me only a real modern art lover...I apologize for letting all of you really real and really really real modern art lovers down...(sigh).

As one of three museums making up the MMoMA the museum is not particularly large, but the collection is quite interesting. The bottom floor is made up mostly of art from the early 20th century. The exhibits become more contemporary as you make your way around the upper floors.

For the most part it's a great gallery, with a lot of diversity, though I did find a few of the pieces to be just plain odd (like the broken eggshell thing...very odd), but hey...what would modern/contemporary art be without a bit of weirdness, the occasional oddity and at least one piece that makes you to say (with raised eyebrow and incredulity in the voice)..."seriously...this is ART!? I did something like this in 2nd grade!"

The museum takes about an hour to go through at a quick pace, perhaps two and a half, really taking your time. If you're a fan of modern art, or just looking for a change up from old Russian churches and historical, then I definitely recommend a visit.