State Hermitage Museum

Q: What are the most famous paintings at the Hermitage?

Henri Matisse's Dance (1910) is one of the top pieces. Rembrandt, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci are all represented across the collection's three million items.

Q: When was the Hermitage founded?

Empress Catherine the Great started the collection in 1764 by buying 225 paintings from a Berlin merchant. She acquired thousands more over her reign and stored them in a private gallery next to the Baroque Winter Palace.

Q: Which artists are best represented?

Rembrandt has one of the largest groups, including portraits and biblical scenes. Monet, Matisse, and Picasso cover the Impressionist and modern wings.

Q: How big is the Hermitage?

It spans six buildings on Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace. Over three million objects total. If you spent one minute per item, you'd need roughly 11 years. Budget at least 3-4 hours for highlights. The Impressionist galleries are on the top floor.

Q: What art movements does the Hermitage cover?

From ancient Scythian gold through Renaissance painting, Baroque, Impressionism, and early 20th-century modern art. The French Impressionist collection was largely confiscated from private collectors after the 1917 revolution.

St. Petersburg, Russia

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Visitor Information

Museum Address

Palace Square 2, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 190000

St. Petersburg, Russia

Ticket Prices

800 RUB (free third Thursday monthly)

Official Website →

Featured Artists

15 artists in database

1Rembrandt van Rijn38 works 2Adriaen van Ostade13 works 3Claude Monet12 works 4Edgar Degas11 works 5David Teniers the Younger5 works

The State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired 225 paintings from Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. Catherine became an obsessive collector, purchasing over 4,000 paintings, 10,000 engravings, and 40,000 books during her reign. She named her private gallery a "hermitage" since, as she wrote to Voltaire, "only the mice and I can admire all this." The collection grew across several buildings adjacent to the Winter Palace, which Russian emperors inhabited until 1917.

Today the Hermitage ranks among the world's largest museums, housing over three million items across six buildings on Palace Embankment. Visitors viewing one exhibit per minute would need 11 years to see everything. The collection includes works by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian. Claude Monet's Waterloo Bridge series represents Impressionism, while Edgar Degas paintings showcase French modern art. The green-and-white Winter Palace, a Baroque marvel completed in 1762, features 1,786 doors and 1,057 decorated halls open to the public.

Visiting State Hermitage Museum

Henri Matisse's Dance (1910) is one of the top pieces. Rembrandt, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci are all represented across the collection's three million items.

Empress Catherine the Great started the collection in 1764 by buying 225 paintings from a Berlin merchant. She acquired thousands more over her reign and stored them in a private gallery next to the Baroque Winter Palace.

Rembrandt has one of the largest groups, including portraits and biblical scenes. Monet, Matisse, and Picasso cover the Impressionist and modern wings.

It spans six buildings on Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace. Over three million objects total. If you spent one minute per item, you'd need roughly 11 years. Budget at least 3-4 hours for highlights. The Impressionist galleries are on the top floor.

From ancient Scythian gold through Renaissance painting, Baroque, Impressionism, and early 20th-century modern art. The French Impressionist collection was largely confiscated from private collectors after the 1917 revolution.

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Please note: Artwork locations and display status may change. Some paintings may be on loan, in restoration, or moved to different galleries within the museum. We recommend contacting State Hermitage Museum directly to confirm specific artwork availability before your visit.

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Famous Works at State Hermitage Museum

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Browse 140 notable artworks in our database. Click any work to see details and plan your visit.