The world-famous museum was originally founded by the Tritiakov brothers on their own. When the two brothers came to Moscow with their father from a rural town, they first ran errands for his father's small business. After the death of their father, the brothers went into business, opened factories and built real estate, and gradually became wealthy. The younger brother also served as mayor of Moscow for several years. Despite their wealth and status, they did not squander their money, but used it to buy paintings, sculptures and other works of art. The younger brother likes European painting, while the older brother loves local art and is enthusiastic about funding young artists who have not yet become famous. Many of them later became masters of Russian painting history.