Undoubtedly the Hermitage is the best and most famous gallery in St Petersburg, but a lot of its attraction is actually due to the lavish interiors of the Winter Palace and not just because of the artwork displayed there.  However if you have a passion for Russian art then the Russian Museum is the gallery for you as the largest depository of Russian art.  The museum was originally established in 1895 by Emperor Nicholas II who named it the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III in honour of his father.  Russian works of art were removed from the collection of the Hermitage and the Mikhailovsky Palace was especially purchased to house the works.  The Mikhailovsky Palace was originally built between 1819 and 1825 by the architect Karl Rossi to serve as a residence for Grand Prince Mikhail Pavlovich (the youngest son of Emperor Paul).  

The palace was extended with the construction of the Benua Corpus which began in 1910 but was only completed in 1919. Today the palace and the Benua Corpus hold the museum's main collection of permanent exhibits as well as various temporary exhibits.  On display are some of the finest and most famous examples of Russian fine art, including original paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky, Boris Kustodiev, Ilya Repin, Nicholas Roerich, Vasili Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov and many more, as well as various ancient Russian icons.

The Mikhailovsky Palace itself, although nothing in comparison to the Winter Palace, also has some beautiful interiors worth seeing. The main highlight being the main central staircase decorated with grey marble from the Urals.