ABCs of  the Museum. To 120 Anniversary of Museum of Moscow

Museum of Moscow
2016

To mark the anniversary of the Museum of Moscow, the first large-scale presentation of the museum’s holdings was created, ranging from tiny archaeological finds from the 4th century BCE to automobiles—altogether, nearly 2,000 objects. Much of this collection had never before been publicly displayed. The exhibition The ABCs of the Museum, became the first comprehensive showcase of the museum’s most interesting and significant artifacts across all departments, essentially serving as the first full "publication" of its collection.

The exhibition followed a thematic structure based on the 33 letters of the Russian alphabet, with 33 key words tied to Moscow’s history and the museum’s collection—from A for Archaeology (Arkheologiya) to E for Einem, O for Ostozhenka, M for Metro, B for Bonistics (Bonistika), and Shch for Dandy (Shchyegol').

For example, in the "A (А) — Archaeology (Arkheologiya)" section, visitors encountered a unique collection of artifacts from the mysterious Dyakovo culture, housed exclusively at the Museum of Moscow. "L (Л) — Legend (Legenda)" explored Moscow’s key urban myths, such as the Sukharev Tower and Yakov Bruce. "Shch (Щ) — Dandy (Shchyegol') displayed part of the museum’s renowned collection of late 19th-early 20th century city fashion, representing Moscow’s top fashion houses. "K (К) — Red (Krasnyi)" focused on Red Square in the 1920s–1930s and the visual language of the era.

This playful, alphabetic approach allowed for a wide-ranging, imaginative presentation of the collection, while also offering a compelling portrait of Moscow and Muscovites across centuries.

Curators
Aleksandra Selivanova
Ekaterina Selezneva

Exhibition Concept
Anatoly Golubovsky

Architectural Concept Authors
Kirill Ass, Nadya Korbut

Architect–Constructor
Alexander Zenin

Design
Svetlana Dudarchik
Kirill Gorbunov
Maria Kondrasheva

Photography
Olga Alexeenko