Erarta Galleries
A commercial gallery network built to send contemporary Russian art abroad, now reduced to a single surviving branch inside its parent museum on Vasilyevsky Island.
At a glance
Erarta Galleries began in 2010 as a three-city venture, with outposts in St. Petersburg, London and Hong Kong. Each space sold contemporary art to fund further exhibitions. Only the St. Petersburg gallery remains active today, housed within the Erarta Museum building.
History
The project opened in September 2010, timed to coincide with the launch of the Erarta Museum itself. A London branch followed in 2011, settling into a 300 sq. m space in Mayfair. Hong Kong came last, opening in November 2014 on Hollywood Road. Both foreign branches closed in 2016. The St. Petersburg gallery, tied directly to the museum’s collection and sales operation, continued uninterrupted.
What you see
The St. Petersburg gallery occupies part of a 10,000 sq. m building. It is not a single fixed display. Exhibitions rotate roughly every two months. Works on view are generally for sale, apart from pieces held as part of the permanent museum collection. The London and Hong Kong spaces were smaller, each around 300 sq. m; the Hong Kong gallery ran across two floors, facing the Man Mo Temple across Hollywood Road.
Cultural significance
The network’s purpose was export. It aimed to introduce Russian contemporary painters, largely unfamiliar abroad, to buyers in Britain and Hong Kong. Names shown in London included Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Aleksandr Dashevsky, Leonid Tishkov and Rinat Voligamsi. Hong Kong’s opening show, “Game Changers”, gathered over 40 works from Russian artists in one sitting. The closures of 2016 mark a retreat rather than an end. The model survives at home, folded into the larger identity of the Erarta Museum.
Key facts
- Founded: 2010, alongside the Erarta Museum
- Original locations: St. Petersburg, London, Hong Kong
- London gallery: opened 2011, Mayfair, 300 sq. m
- Hong Kong gallery: opened 20 November 2014, Hollywood Road, two floors
- Both London and Hong Kong branches closed in 2016
- Surviving gallery: St. Petersburg, inside a 10,000 sq. m museum building on Vasilyevsky Island
Practical information & getting there
You will find the surviving gallery within the Erarta Museum on Vasilyevsky Island, St. Petersburg. Exhibitions change roughly every two months, so a repeat visit can show an entirely different selection. Check the official website before travelling for current shows and visiting hours.
Sources & resources
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