Museum of the Russian Academy of fine Arts is a unique art collection not only in Russia, but throughout the world. It was established in the middle of XVIII century and turned into a truly unique collection. In the Academy of arts are collected drawings, engravings, paintings which were made  by Russian and west-european masters, as well as casts of the works of ancient and western- european sculpture, which served as models for drawing in classes "plaster heads" and "plaster figures." The building of the Academy itself was created by projects of two famous masters Vallin de la Mothe and Kokorinov - two teachers of the Academy of Arts’ architecture class, represents an outstanding architecture monument of early Russian Classicism attributed to “especially valuable cultural heritage objects”.

Permanent exhibitions of the Scientific-Research Museum are presented on three floors of the “circle” – internal concentric block of the Academy’s building. Galleries “running around” the internal round yard of the building (of 55 m diameter) form a unique exhibition room. The first floor is occupied by the department of casts, masterpieces of the antique sculpture also it contains the models of antique architecture monuments made in the 18th century of cork in the workshop of Chichi, Roman sculptor. The collection is unparalleled in quality and artistic value. The exposition devoted to the history of the Russian artistic school situated on the second floor. The exposition presents works which were made in the process of studying by the students of the Academy also there are works which brought academic titles to their painters, as well as the portraits of historic figures whose activity was connected with the Academy of Arts. Works of famous painters such as Losenko, Borovikovsky, Bryullov, P.P. Chistyakov, Kustodiyev, Brodsky are represented there. Placed on the third floor exhibition “Saint Petersburg Architecture of the 18th-19th centuries in patterns, paintings and drawings” represents us works of outstanding architects of the past. Unique design patterns of prominent St. Petersburg architecture monuments – Smolny Cathedral, Isaac Cathedral, Mikhailovsky Palace, Stock Exchange and others are of great interest. The Ceremonial halls exhibits the copies of Italian masters of XVI-XVIII century among which are the copies of Titian paintings and almost completely reproduced cycle of Raphael’s frescos in the Vatican castle stanza.