For this Fresh VUE feature, Russian artist Serge Kireev captures the majesty of the Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg. In 2014, the venerable museum will host the 20th anniversary of the European contemporary art biennial known as Manifesta.

St. Petersburg, Russia’s ‘window’ to Europe, is widely known as the country’s cultural capital. Next year, the city’s most renowned art institution will become a center of contemporary art for Manifesta 10. As many as ten buildings of the vast museum will house the main exposition, including one wing of the General Staff building, a grand edifice that once headquartered Russia’s highest military command.

Kireev’s photography spotlights iconic Museum interiors as well as two of the Museum’s stunning palaces. The Winter Palace was formerly the official residence of Russian tsars. Catherine The Great ordered the construction of the original Hermitage, a stone building faced with giant marble statues, to house her painting collection.

Serge Kireev shares his photos of a controversial contemporary art exhibition in St. Petersburg: ICONS