On this Monday and every first Monday of the month from now on, the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center is opening its doors to all visitors free of charge.
This Monday the museum is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the birth of architect Konstantin Melnikov, who with Vladimir Shukhov designed the building that now houses the center. The building, called the Bakhmetyevsky Garage, was built in 1927 to house 130 public transport buses the Soviet government had bought from England. It was restored in 2008 and has been home to the museum since 2012.
On Monday evening the museum is holding a free public talk about Melnikov by five prominent architects and city planners, including Moscow head architect Sergei Kuznetsov and Valentin Dyakonov, the Kommersant newspaper's art critic. Registration is required on the museum site.
Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, 11 Ulitsa Obraztsova, Bldg. 1A. jewish-museum.ru. 495-645-0550. Mon. open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Public talk at 7:30 p.m.
Across town, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is offering new options for its Friends of the Museum program. Starting on Aug. 1, there is a new Young People's card for museumgoers under the age of 26, and a new top category card — the Magenta Card — providing one of the most asked-for options — exhibition tours by curators.
The museum's member program, one of the first in the city, began at the end of 2014. The new membership categories supplement basic membership for individuals, couples and families, and the premium categories of Silver and Gold. Membership benefits include free admissions and bypassing entry lines.
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. 12 Ulitsa Volkhonka. arts-museum.ru. Information on membership at 985-350-2140.