The collection includes 151 paintings, graphic works and sculptures. Among them are works by El Greco, Tintoretto, Peter Brueghel Jr., Francisco de Goya, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and unknown artists of the 16th-19th centuries.
According to Ms. Krivova, during World War II the collection was brought to Russia by the 49th army of the Soviet Union which was quartered in Gorky (the former name of Nizhny Novgorod) and handed to the museum in 1945.
After that the collection was registered in the museum's depositories, however, in 1957 the museum's officials hand to send the collection to the Grabar restoration center in Moscow.
"At that time the Soviet Culture Ministry ordered to hand the collection to the Pushkin State Fine Arts Museum because the museum of Nizhny Novgorod lacked restorers and keepers. We realized that the collection was important and sent it to the largest restoration center," Valentina Krivova said.
The collection was classified during the Soviet times.
In 1996 37 works of art were handed to the museum of Nizhny Novgorod, 15 works were returned to Hungary and over 80 works are still kept at the Grabar restoration center.
The administration of the Nizhny Novgorod museum agreed with the restoration center to show the collection in September 2005.
"We do not know how many paintings we shall receive," Ms. Krivova said.
