Irina Sedova, curator of the exhibition, reefers to it as an “exhibition of emotional experience” enabling viewers of all generations to feel and understand the 1941–1945 events through the works of artists from the Gallery’s collection.

The exposition consists of the three main sections: Fiery Milestones of War, The Altar of Victory and Echoes of the Past War, each depicting the key episodes of that time. The collection of works in the Tretyakov Gallery’s funds devoted to the subject of the Great Patriotic War is unique in its amount and composition; part of this collection will be displayed within the framework of this project.

Fiery Milestone of War, the first section, is presented through the images in the artists' works that are associated with going off to war, hardships of evacuation and struggle for life. The second section of the exhibition is about hope, the joy of liberation and the triumph of victory in the war. The most poignant will be Echoes of the Past War, where the works of artists will show the memory of the grief and suffering people had to go through to win the victory. The last part of the exhibition is Faces of Victor, the gallery depicting heroes of that time, as well as the section about the evacuation of the Tretyakov gallery’s collection and its return home. In total, the exhibition will display over 200 pieces of art that cherish the memory of the Great Patriotic War and heroic deeds of Soviet people.

Depictions of Nazi symbols and attributes as well as of persons and members of organizations recognized as criminal by the Nurnberg Tribunal Verdicts do not aim to call for extremist action, do not excuse or justify the necessity of committing any extremist action, do not excuse or justify national and racial superiority, do not approve of war and other crimes aimed at the total or partial elimination of any ethnic, social, racial, national or religious group. The above images are exposed solely in the context of the stories about historical processes associated with the Great Patriotic War. The aim is to shape a negative attitude of viewers to the ideology of Nazism and extremism.