The State Institute of Arts Studies is the leading Russian centre of comprehensive research in the field of arts, both Russian and foreign. The Institute was created in 1944 in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR; since 1962 it has been subordinated to the Ministry of Culture of the USSR/Russian Federation. The Institute carries out fundamental projects related to the history of European and Russian arts, including the publication of the 22-volume General History of Russian Art (since 2000), etc.
 
The Institute serves as a base for the Scientific Council for Arts Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Institute’s members, including 100 doctors of science and 124 doctors of philosophy, are active as State experts in the field of protection of historical and cultural monuments.