The date of creation of the Tretyakov Gallery is traditionally considered 1856, when the Moscow merchant and industrialist Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov acquired the first works of modern Russian artists. His original goal was to create an art gallery, which could later be transformed into a museum of Russian national art. "For me, who truly and fiercely loves painting, there can be no better desire than to lay the foundation for a public, accessible repository of fine arts, which benefits many, everyone," Tretyakov wrote in 1860, adding, "I would like to leave the national gallery, that is, consisting of paintings by Russian artists."