All Eyes on Moscow: Garage Museum’s Anton Belov Shares the City’s Top Picks
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As the World Cup comes to its final weekend, all eyes are on Moscow. When the games are over, the appeal of the city in summer remains — long, warm days, short nights, and a wealth of cultural capital to explore. Anton Belov is the director of the Garage MuAll Eyes on Moscow: Garage Museum’s Anton Belov Shares the City’s Top Picks
As the World Cup comes to its final weekend, all eyes are on Moscow. When the games are over, the appeal of the city in summer remains — long, warm days, short nights, and a wealth of cultural capital to explore. Anton Belov is the director of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow’s premiere private museum for new art. It houses the private collections of founder Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich. Belov spoke to BLOUIN ARTINFO about his favorite aspects of the Russian megacity.How long have you been a resident of Moscow and what do you like best about the city?I was born in Moscow, but on the outskirts near the forest, so my “city center” life started when I went to the University of Steel and Alloys, which is next to Garage in Gorky Park. My real Moscow life began when I was 18. The best thing about this city is that it’s like a Russian merchant with a generous soul who is very open when he sets his mind to something.What are your “can’t leave without seeing this” recommendations for the city?Moscow is impossible without long-distance walking and visiting places like Tverskaya Street. It’s worth visiting the major museums, like the Pushkin Museum with its Impressionists or the Tretyakov Gallery with its amazing Russian collections, from icons to Contemporary art. And, of course, if you want to have the ultimate Moscow experience you should not limit your visit to museums but go to the Bolshoi Theater and see some night life (like bars). Moscow has lots of fantastic restaurants which are good for tourists, like Cafe Pushkin and Dr. Zhivago, and places that specialize in local food like Severyane and Sakhli.What is the most overrated thing people advise visitors to see or visit when they are in town?Things like Red Sqaure or Zaryadye Park or GUM department store (which is basically a huge shop) are really overrated and packed with crowds of people, thousands of them. If you want to have a unique experience don’t stick to the “to do list.” Make up your own program!What are your must-visit restaurants and/or cafes and what makes them unique?I think Coffeemania is amazing. It’s the best cafe in the world. If you want to have a real Moscow experience go to the centrally-located ones, such as the one near the Conservatoire, or those that are open 24/7. I think Severyane restaurant is a must. So is Sakhli: It serves Georgian food, the place is small but feels like home. These are the key places for me to eat. And now there are lots of food markets in Moscow where you can find small restaurants and buy fresh fruit and vegetables.What would you do if you had a free morning or afternoon in Moscow?If I had half a day free in Moscow I would definitely play sport. In summer I like to go to Neskuchny Sad park to work out or just jog. I also like Chaika open-air swimming pool where you can enjoy outdoor swimming in the center of Moscow. Or I might visit other museums managed by my friends, like Multimedia Art Museum and Moscow Museum of Modern Art.What are the bars/places you would recommend to football fans to chill out at after an intense World Cup match?Strelka bar is a great place for foreigners to enjoy the World Cup atmosphere. It’s in the heart of Moscow and is a place for creative people. There’s a really friendly vibe. Definitely a must go place.What are your recommendations for shopping in the city?If you have lots of money, go to Prada. The Moscow store is the best in the world. It’s packed with new clothes and the brand is not that popular in Moscow, so you can always buy amazing things, including products from collaborations (such as with Rem Koolhaas and Burliuk). There are also TsUM and GUM with fashion and luxury boutiques. But if you want something more cool, edgy, and hip, try stores like Leform and Brandshop.Where would you recommend people stay when they visit?There are plenty of big hotels like the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons. But if you’re not traveling in a big group then go for something unusual. I recommend Moss boutique hotel, which is in the Kitay-gorod area, near Lubyanka. It’s a unique hotel right in the center of the city.Where would you go in Moscow to quietly catch up on a book or to catch up with a friend?As I spend most of my time at Garage, I meet my friends at Garage Cafe, where we have a great chef. Most of my friends come there to meet me and then I can stay on for other meetings. This works best for me.Which is your favorite bookstore in Moscow?It’s the same with bookstores. My favorite is Garage Bookshop. It stocks around 9,000 titles and new books keep coming. The team brings in the best books from around the world. So I don’t need any other bookstore.What are the best venues to check out exhibitions or collections in the city?You should always check out the Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Gallery (especially the New Tretyakov, which has 20th-century art). Definitely Multimedia Art Museum and Moscow Museum of Modern Art. And if you have time to go to some unusual places, you should definitely visit a small museum: there are 300–400 of them in the city center. Try the Maxim Gorky Museum in the Ryabushinsky Mansion or the house-museum of the great Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov. They are real hidden gems.Any hidden surprises about Moscow that are not easy to find in travel guidebooks?You never find fascinating museums like the State Museum of Oriental Art or the Melnikov House, which is impossible to visit without advance booking, or the Museum of Architecture, which is a real sleeping beauty because it has an amazing collection but tiny exhibition spaces and insufficient space for its permanent collection of great Russian avant-garde architecture. If you have local friends you should ask them and they will help you to find these treasures.http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder: Louise Blouin p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color: #d81e00} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 32.0px Arial; color: #232323} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font-kerning: none} p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Times} Read more