On the 31^st of August, in1892, Russian Maecenas Pavel Tretyakov offered to transfer his art gallery to Moscow. Thus, the famous Tretyakov Gallery was born. We tell about the Moscow gallery and other museums that have received priceless collections as a gift.

1. Tretyakov Gallery

Moscow, Russia

The gallery grew up from the collection of paintings by the brothers Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov, which they began to collect in the middle of the XIX century. Now the Tretyakov Gallery is a whole complex of museums, whose buildings are located in different parts of Moscow. But the main are the mansion with the famous Vasnetsovsky facade in Lavrushinsky Lane and several rooms in the Central House of Artists on the Crimean shaft. Russian art as it is - from the Old Russian to the modern - here you need to "check in" at least once, and then - as you like.

2. Museum-theater of Salvador Dali

Costa Brava, Spain

In 1960, Salvador Dali decided to gift a museum to his native city, and not just a couple of paintings to the local gallery, as the Mayor of Figueres asked. From the idea to the realization of the idea 14 years had passed. Opened in 1974 in Figueres, the Dali Museum-theater is now considered one of the most visited places in Spain. Here it is collected about 1500 of his works: paintings, sculpture, installations. From July 31 to August 31, the museum works not only during the day, but also at night (from 22.00 to 01.00). Audiovisual accompaniment and champagne speed up immersion into the wonderful world of the great surrealist.

3. The Museum of Rodin

Paris, France

The halls of this museum are filled with tenderness and sadness, passion and energy. And even those who do not consider themselves the admirers of sculpture, find here something that is consonant with their soul. About 300 works of the great Auguste Rodin, made in bronze and marble, convey a variety of shades of human emotions and feelings.It is known that in 1908 Auguste Rodin rented four rooms in this house. Three years later the building became the property of the French government and the sculptor agreed that he would occupy the entire building in exchange for the fact that after his death all the works would be donated to the state with one condition: they must remain forever in Biron's mansion.

4. The Kroller-Müller Museum

Netherlands

Being interested in the artists of the late XIX century Helen Kröller - Müller actively began to buy their works. She was one of the first who paid the attention to the canvases of Van Gogh, in particular, on his early paintings. As a result, she succeeded to collect the second largest (after the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) collection of works of artist, who during his life wasn’t recognized by anyone. For a long time, the paintings were not exhibited anywhere. Only a few years before her death in 1939, she decided to hold the meeting to the general public.In 1938 a special museum was built for this aim in the National Park of Hoge Veluwe near the village of Otterlo.

5. Museum of Schlumpf brothers cars

Mulhouse, France

Unlike many automobile museums in Europe, the collection collected by textile magnates, Schlumpf brothers is literally stunning.In the hangar on the outskirts of Mulhouse, consisting of three giant halls, over 400 cars of 107 different manufacturers are exhibited. 123 exhibits of them - Bugatti's machines - is one of the rarest collections in the world.

6. Museum of Pablo Picasso

Münster, Germany

In the museum of Pablo Picasso in Münster is one of the most extensive collections of works by the great artist: 800 rare lithographs, etchings, sketches and graphic drawings. Previously, the paintings belonged to the family of German collectors Husing: being in love with the works of Picasso, the spouses Gert and Utah collected works of the master, and in 1997 they decided to organize the Picasso Fund, from which the history of the museum began. It opened three years later in a building of the late 18th century and immediately became one of the city's attractions.

7. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Madrid, Spain

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, together with the Prado Museum and Queen Sofia's Arts Center, is part of Madrid's "Golden Triangle of the Arts. "Its history began in the 1920s. Then, the largest German industrialist and collector, Baron Hans Thiessen-Bornemisza, during the Great Depression in the United States, began to buy out works of European masters from American manufacturers and transport them back to Europe. Today the museum's collection includes more than a thousand of works, starting with the Gothic of Italian painting of the XIII century and ending with the monuments of pop-art.

8. The Museum of Valraf-Riharta

Cologne, Germany

The museum of Walraf-Rihartz is one of the oldest museums in Germany. It is located next to the Cologne Cathedral and the Town Hall. The collections of medieval paintings and graphics, ancient icons that survived during the Reformation, as well as the works of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet and other famous artists are preserved here. The museum was opened in 1861 thanks to the rector of the University of Cologne Ferdinand Franz Valraf and Maecenas Johann Heinrich Rihartz. The rector bought, exchanged and stored various art objects during many years. The lion's share of his collection consisted of books, icons and other things that were confiscated by the state from the Catholic Church. When he died, he gifted his treasures to his native city.

9. Phillips Collection

Washington, USA

Opened in 1921, this gallery became the first modern art museum in the United States. It appeared thanks to Duncan Phillips, whose family moved to Washington from Pittsburgh after the death of the head of the family. Starting his career as a art critic, Duncan was collecting the picturesque canvas. Together with his wife Marjorie (artist by education), they worked out their own concept of the museum. All the paintings they exhibited in their own home, where they eventually had to move out, because the exposition grew with each new acquisition.

10. Jacquemart-Andre Museum

Paris, France

Edward Andre and Nelly Jacquard kept their collection of paintings in their own house. Coming from a Protestant family of bankers, Edward spent money on the acquisition of works of art, starting with the purchase of jewelry, ceramics, tapestries. When he married the artist Nelya Zhakmar, they devoted themselves to travels, in which they searched for masterpieces for their collection. Thus they had the canvases of Fragonard, Boucher, Rembrandt, Anton van Dyck, Botticelli, Canaletto and Tiepolo frescoes. Unfortunately, Monsieur Andre died before the opening of the exposition of the museum in 1913 for visitors. Nely later bequeathed the entire collection to the state.