Melancholy, peace, nostalgia… these and other emotions are described by visitors as they make their way through darkened halls filled with art, accompanied by the lonely sound of a piano and the faint scent of sandalwood incense.

“Life After Life,” the new exhibition at the Manege, explores death, one of the most universal themes in art, through the eyes of St. Petersburg’s artists throughout history. The show consists of various art forms dating from 1725 to 2018, including paintings, sculptures, videos, and graphics. Sculptures and paintings of skulls are a recurrent theme throughout the years, and so is the portrayal of the death of historical figures as Vladimir Lenin, Emperor Alexander II and Peter the Great. His portrait in death, peacefully reposed, is one of the oldest works in the show.

The exhibition has gathered works from more than twenty museums in Russia, including the Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, and smaller museums from various cities in Russia from Krasnodar to Pskov.

The exhibition run from April 9 until May 22

Manege Central Exhibition Hall. 1 Isaakiyevskaya Ploshchad, Saint Petersburg