Moscow Art Academic Theater named after Maxim Gorky * All PYRENEES

The Moscow Art Academic Theater, named after Maxim Gorky (Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky), is a drama theater in Moscow, founded in 1987 after the division of the Moscow Art Theater of the USSR into two theaters, named after the Russian writer Maxim Gorky.

The theater was founded in 1987, after the Minister of Culture of the USSR Vasily Zakharov signed Order No. 383, according to which the Moscow Art Theater of the USSR was officially divided into two theaters: the Moscow Art Theater named after Maxim Gorky under the direction of Tatyana Doronina and the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov under the direction of the first artistic director Oleg Efremov. The “Doroninsky” Moscow Art Theater retained the official name of M. Gorky, assigned to the theater in 1932, and the “Efremov” theater was named after A.P. Chekhov in 1989 (see Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov).

In 1972, a new theater building was built at the suggestion of the Minister of Culture Ekaterina Furtseva. Vladimir Kubasov was the chief architect of the project, and architects Anatoly Morgulis, V. S. Ulyashov, engineers A. P. Tsikunov, Yu. S. Manevich, sculptors A. V. Vasnetsov, Yu. Turgenev also worked on the project. The engineer Aron Naumovich Kacherovich was engaged in the acoustics of the theater.

The building of the Moscow Art Theater in house number 22 on Tverskoy Boulevard occupies almost a whole block. It is very different from the nearby two-story houses of the 19th century. The main facade of the theater is lined with brown-red tuff. It is divided into long horizontal stripes, depicting a stone theater curtain. Metal brackets pushed forward, and a white strip of balconies supported lanterns and bas-reliefs representing the four muses. The pylons are crowned with a composition of lanterns. A wide staircase leads from the street to the recessed entrances. The overall style of the façade is reminiscent of Scandinavian Art Nouveau.

The auditorium is designed for 1345 people. The interior uses natural materials: wood, stone and bronze, in brown and olive-green shades that create a mysterious twilight. The entire auditorium, foyer walls, columns and elevator doors are lined with wood. Dark green Hungarian geometric furniture is combined with illuminated islands of greenery. Chandeliers in the form of stalagmites and stairs with illuminated handrails visually smooth the transition from one room to another, hiding the asymmetry of the internal organization.