Photographs and videos posted to social media show water raining down onto the museum’s floors as visitors navigate around giant puddles in an attempt to soak in the gallery’s exhibits.

Although it seems some tried to ignore the leaky ceiling and continue their picture-gazing, Tretyakov staff evacuated the building so that they could protect the collection from water damage, Russian media reported. 

The world-renowned gallery re-opened its doors in July, after closing its doors in mid-March as part of Moscow’s coronavirus restrictions. 

The flooding occurred at a building that holds the Tretyakov’s contemporary art collection. Another building, which houses the gallery’s older artwork, apparently survived the storm without taking water damage. 

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