Azerbaijan’s National Museum of Art - cultural treasure preserving national and universal tangible and intangible cultural heritage from ancient times by now

Baku, February 5, AZERTAC Azerbaijan National Museum of Art is a precious cultural treasure that has preserved the national and universal tangible and intangible cultural heritage from ancient times by now and passed down these unique art pearls from generation to generation. The museum is situated in the heart of Baku (Niyazi str. 9/11) in one of the most beautiful ancient residences of the 19-th century. Since 1951, the museum has settled in a beautiful residence known as “Palace of De Boure” built in 1887-1895 on the project of the city’s chief architect Nicholas von der Nonne, which belonged to Leo De Boure - a Dutch landowner and one of the oil millionaires of Baku in the 19th century and the business manager for Baron Rothschild's company. In 1992, in order to expand the area of the museum, the building of the Mariinsky Women’s School named after Empress Maria Feodorovna, built on the project of architect Mikhail Denisovich Botov in 1883-1887 was also added to the museum’s territory. Initially created as an Art Department under the Azerbaijan State Museum in 1924, later by the decision of the Council of People’s Commissars of Azerbaijan SSR in 1936, the museum became an independent museum - The Azerbaijan State Art Museum. The museum has become operational as Azerbaijan State Museum in 1936. The opening ceremony of the museum on May 6, 1937, became a remarkable day in the artistic life of Azerbaijan. Currently, Azerbaijan National Museum of Art consists of two ancient buildings and a transitional corpus with a modern architecture that combines them into a single complex. In 2011, by decision of the Azerbaijani government, the museum was given a national status. The same year, the museum was given the status of European Museum Standard (EUMS), which has a qualitative museum service and professional experience that meets international standards and criteria by the decision of the European Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry (EEIG) based in Brussels. The museum collection contains more than 19,000 exhibits, including rare samples of different artistic styles and periods both of national and world culture making it very appealing for art lovers, specialists and regular visitors. It is interesting to follow the history of a group of exhibits, belonging to different periods and different prominent historical figures, among which were Baku oil magnates - collectors of antiquities and world known museum collections. Today, the museum also presents to visitors a great opportunity to meet the largest collection of national painting and graphics, following a process of a formation and development of the mainstreams and underground styles, interrelated with difficult historical processes of the region. A wide collection of the best aesthetic samples of national applied art and archeological artefacts of different periods from the Stone Age to present times makes this collection unique as it shows an anthology of all kinds of national arts with its most beautiful samples. The porcelain and ceramics fund has several thousands of exhibits, representing Azerbaijan, Russia, Western European and Oriental countries. The textile fund has a very rich collection of valuable artifacts from Azerbaijan and other countries. The biggest part of the collection belongs to Azerbaijani carpets of all traditional carpet making schools. Some pieces are unique and have no analogs in other local cultural centers. The collection of national embroidery is very beautiful as it shows all kinds of technique of this ancient handicraft artwork which had glorified and brought a worldwide pride to our country in ancient times. The museum is proud to own the oldest sample of national embroidery dated back to the 17th century. National garment made of richly decorated local fabrics is also shown in the collection. Many beautiful samples of European and Oriental textile, carpet making and embroidery are stored in the museum funds. It also boasts beautiful collection of tapestry and fans. Today, the museum hosts international exhibitions devoted to national art of Turkey, Iran, France, Japan, China and Central Asia. In terms of richness and value, the collection of Azerbaijan National Museum of Art is among the prestigious worldwide museums. The museum also hosts international exhibitions dedicated to the art of Turkish, Iranian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Middle Asian and other cultures. In December 2018, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the inauguration of the third building of Azerbaijan National Museum of Art after major overhaul. The conditions created in the building once again demonstrated the high-level state care and attention to the preservation and promotion of rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan. If you want to enjoy the rich collection of valuable artifacts from Azerbaijan and other countries, as well as beautiful samples of European and Oriental textile, carpet making and embroidery, then you should definitely visit the museum during its opening hours, which are all the days except Monday, 10.00-18.00. The visitors who received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to visit the museum.