Pictures at an Exhibition is arguably the most famous work of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881). It was originally a suite composed for piano, but has become best-known in the form of Maurice Ravel’s 1922 arrangement for orchestra.

Mussorgsky wrote Pictures… in 1874 as an homage to his friend Viktor Hartmann, an architect and painter whose death had bereaved him. After Hartmann’s passing a large exhibition of his paintings was held in the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Mussorgsky himself had lent pieces from his own collection to the exhibition, and after visiting it he felt inspired to write a musical piece that would resemble a tour of an art collection.

This reflects in the way Pictures… is conceived: the visitor enters the exhibition space, looks at the first exhibit, then walks on, views the next one, and so forth. So the musical work is divided into ten movements, the “pictures” themselves, and a recurring “promenade” theme, that represents the stroll between the displays. The “pictures” have a very descriptive quality, compelling surprising visual imagery to the listener’s mind, while the “promenades” are sometimes leisurely, alert, or sad, echoing Mussorgsky’s state of mind upon seeing his departed friend’s artworks.
The works that Mussorgsky drew inspiration from were watercolours and drawings that Hartmann had made during his travels. The critic Vladimir Stasov wrote short descriptive notes to accompany each picture:

No. 1: Gnomus - "A sketch depicting a little gnome, clumsily running with crooked legs."

No. 2: The Old Castle - "A medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song."

No. 3: Tuileries - "An avenue in the garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children and nurses."

No. 4: Bydlo (The Ox-Cart) - "A Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen."

No. 5: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks - "Hartmann's design for the décor of a picturesque scene in the ballet Trilby."

No. 6: Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle - "Two Jews: Rich and Poor."

No. 7: The Market at Limoges - "French women quarrelling violently in the market."

No. 8: Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum) and Con mortuis in lingua mortua (The Catacombs - Roman sepulcher and With the Dead in a Dead Language) - "Hartmann represented himself examining the Paris catacombs by the light of a lantern."

No. 9: The Hut on Fowl's Legs - "Hartmann's drawing depicted a clock in the form of Baba-Yaga's hut on fowl's legs. Mussorgsky added the witch's flight in a mortar."

No. 10: The Great Gate of Kiev - "Hartmann's sketch was his design for city gates at Kiev in the ancient Russian massive style with a cupola shaped like a slavonic helmet."