Zelfira Tregulova, Ambassador for Russian Art and Head of the Prestigious Tretyakov Gallery

The Tretyakov Gallery posted good results before Covid. Two things were especially significant: firstly, the number of visitors rose from 1.4 million in 2014 to over 2.8 million in 2019. Secondly, the museum is increasingly self-sufficient, with government funding now accounting for just 36% of the total budget. That figure was 68% when I became director in 2015. Today, the Gallery provides 64% of its own budget: 42% comes from ticket sales and commercial activities, 22% from benefactors. What impact has the pandemic had? The museum was closed for five months from late March to early July 2020 and from November 15 of the same year to January 22, 2021, which obviously impacted our resources. Fortunately, the government came to our rescue by funding about 70% of our annual budget. Immediately after reopening, by which time we had planned seven new shows, we had a surge of visitors: a sign that the public really missed the stimulation provided by art. For 2021, we estimate admissions to…