For the first time outside Russia, the Shchukin Collection, referred to as one of the world’s greatest collections of modern art, is going to be on display in Paris, at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

The collection is on loan from Moscow’s Tretyakov State Gallery and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, which I visited this July. The collection’s pieces are beautiful (it includes Matisse, Picasso, Monet and Gaugin), but getting to view them was an odyssey in and of itself. The modern art wing of the Hermitage is new and I had the impression that these masterpieces had been tucked away, accessible only to those who were willing to brave maze-like branches of the museum and questionable corridors. I’m looking forward to seeing them once again at Fondation Louis Vuitton, where I’m sure they will be in the spotlight this time around.

Some of my favorite pieces from the collection

The collection will be exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton from October 22, 2016 – Feburary 20, 2017. Find out more: http://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/expositions/icones-de-l-art-moderne.html