The Tretyakov Gallery houses one of the most celebrated and extensive collections of Russian art and artifacts in the world. The gallery was named after the financier and entrepreneur Pavel Tretyakov (1832-98), who donated approximately 2,000 works of Russian art from his own private collection to the city of Moscow at the end of the 19th century. These works formed the basis from which today's impressive collection grew. Without Tretyakov's extensive and generous patronage of the arts many Russian artists would not have been able to achieve the artistic success that they did and the world of Russian art would be considerably diminished.