The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO was founded in 2002 by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The Center specializes in the study, preservation, and popularization of photographic heritage, integrating exhibition, scientific research, educational, and restoration activities. ROSFOTO collaborates with Russian and international museums, archives, and cultural organizations and is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
The center’s collection comprises approximately 75,000 items, illustrating the evolution of global and Russian photography, technology, artistic styles, and photographic techniques. A significant portion of the collection features historical, local, and portrait photography from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, works by renowned Soviet photographers, as well as pieces by contemporary artists.Since 2008, ROSPHOTO has served as the scientific and methodological center for preserving photographic documents from the state archives of the Russian Federation. Specialists conduct research on photographic materials, develop preservation and restoration methods, and monitor museum collections. The center also develops and publishes methodological and reference materials in both print compilations and electronically on its web portal, while also carrying out educational activities.
The ROSFOTO website deserves special attention; in addition to basic information about the museum and exhibitions, it publishes scholarly materials, digitized collections, virtual exhibitions, video lectures, and audio guides, and also houses an eidotheca (archive of digital multimedia objects).
