National Art Museum of Azerbaijan facts for kids

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Azerbaijan National Museum of Art
Azərbaycan Milli İncəsənət Muzeyi
Palace of De Boure - first building of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art
Established	1936
Location	Niyazi Street 9/11, Baku, Azerbaijan
Type	Art museum
Collection size	15,000 items: 3,000 items displayed (12,000 items stored)
Public transit access	M 1 Icheri Sheher metro station

The Azerbaijan National Museum of Art (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Milli İncəsənət Muzeyi) is the largest art museum in Azerbaijan. It was started in 1936 in Baku. In 1943, it was named after Rustam Mustafayev. He was a famous Azerbaijani artist who designed sets for plays.

The museum is made up of two buildings from the 1800s that stand close to each other. The museum has more than 15,000 pieces of art in total. About 3,000 of these are always on display in 60 different rooms. The other 12,000 items are kept safely in storage. The museum often changes what is on display. This way, more of its amazing artworks can be seen by visitors.

History of the Museum
What You Can See in the Collection
- Art from Different Regions
- Azerbaijani Artists
Architecture of the Museum
Antique and Medieval Art of Azerbaijan
Gallery
See also

History of the Museum

In 1936, a group called the Council of People's Commissars of Azerbaijan SSR decided something important. They chose to make the art section of the Azerbaijan State Museum its own separate museum.

To get its first artworks, the museum sent out teams to find them. They also bought other special pieces. The museum's first exhibition opened in 1937. Later, in 1951, the museum moved into the beautiful Baroque-style De Bour mansion. This building was built in the late 1800s.

In 2006, the museum building was completely rebuilt and updated. A new exhibition opened in 2009. In 2011, the museum received a special award. It was named a "European Museum Standard" (EUMS) museum. This means it meets high international standards for museums. It shows that the museum offers great services and has professional staff.

In May 2022, on International Museum Day, the museum held a special "Museum Night." This event used multimedia to share its art. It was part of a plan with the UN to help with sustainable development. This means working towards a better future for everyone.

The museum also has a large library. It holds about 9,000 scientific books, catalogs, and other professional writings. There is also a collection of very old and rare books.

What You Can See in the Collection

The Azerbaijan National Museum of Art has many old and beautiful artworks. Some pieces date back to the 4th century BC!

You can see old ceramic bowls with ancient designs. These were found in places like Nakhchivan and Mingachevir. There are also decorative lamps and glazed tiles from the Seljuq period. You can even see parts of the old Bayil castle from the 1200s.

The museum displays chests from the 1300s to 1700s. There are also fine copies of the Qur’an and 16th-century books about stars. You can see original Tabriz miniatures from the 1600s and 1700s. These tiny paintings were made with special paints and gold.

The museum also shows works by famous Azerbaijani artists. These include Mir Mohsun Navvab, Mirza Kadym Irevani, and Usta Gambar Karabakhi. You can also see art by the first professional artists in Azerbaijan and modern artists.

There are artistic metal items from the 1600s and 1700s. You can also find examples of old fabrics, embroidery, national costumes, carpets, and jewelry. These pieces are from the 1700s to 1900s.

The museum also has treasures from other parts of the world. These include art from Western Europe like France, Germany, and Italy. There is also art from the East, such as Iran, Turkey, and Japan. Plus, you can see art from Russia.

Besides carpets, the museum shows other types of Azerbaijani decorative arts. These include different kinds of embroidery and artistic metalwork. You can also see artistic fabrics, wood carvings, and jewelry.

"Gulabatin" is a type of gold thread embroidery very popular in Azerbaijan. Shamakhi, Shusha, and Baku were famous for this art. Red and green velvet were often used as the background for gold and silver threads. Hats and small caps called "arakhchins" were decorated with flowers and stars. Other clothes like "arkhalig" and "kulaja" were also embroidered with gold threads.

The museum displays many items with gold thread embroidery. These include caps, scarves, shoes, and cases for combs or watches.

Art from Different Regions

Seven rooms in the first building show European art. Ten rooms are dedicated to Russian art.

European art includes works by artists from Italy like Guercino. You can also see art from France, Dutch and Flemish artists like Frans Hals. There are also paintings from Germany and Poland.

The second building was built in 1885. It holds Eastern art, especially from Persia, Turkey, China, and Japanese art.

Russian art includes paintings by famous artists like Karl Briullov and Isaac Levitan. You can also see restored examples of Russian avant-garde art. This was a new and experimental art style.

Azerbaijani Artists

The museum features many Azerbaijani artists. These include painters like Mir Mohsun Navvab, Bahruz Kangarli, and Tair Salakhov. There are also works by sculptor Omar Eldarov. One whole room is filled with paintings by the artist Sattar Bahlulzade.

The museum also has small paintings called book miniatures from the 1600s to 1800s. There are also shiny lacquered miniatures from the 1700s and 1800s. You can also see a collection of special spoons for sherbet, made from mulberry tree wood.

The first artworks for the museum came from Saint-Petersburg, Moscow, and private collections. The museum's art has also been shown in other countries. These include Canada, Cuba, Syria, France, and Iraq.

Architecture of the Museum

The museum building has a calm, horizontal design. This design fits well with the taller buildings around it. The architect made sure the building stood out. It was designed to highlight its location and its view towards the sea.

The building uses classic design elements. These special features make the building's architectural style stand out.

Buildings like this were often built on the main streets of big cities. The museum building was unique and easy to notice. It was one of the first buildings to use special porch-like entrances on the front. It also had open spaces on the side. All these details make the building special and give it a unique shape.

Antique and Medieval Art of Azerbaijan

This part of the collection shows art from ancient times and the Middle Ages. You can see figures of birds from Manna. There are also female figures from the 3rd to 1st centuries BC.

The museum displays various old dishes found during excavations in Azerbaijan. You can also see a tombstone shaped like a horse, and many other interesting items.

Gallery

Theotokos of Vladimir, late 16th century
Our Lady of Kazan, late 17th century
Bernardino Luini - St. Catherine, 16th century
Andrea del Sarto - Madonna of the Harpies, 1517-1519
Bartolomeo Schedoni - John the Baptist, 17th century
Guercino - Sleeping Endymion, 17th century
Leandro Bassano - Portrait of an Old Woman
Balthasar Beschey - Venera and Adonis
Pieter Claesz - Still life
Justus Sustermans - Portrait of F. Medici, 17th century
Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt - Portrait of the Duke of Wallenstein, 17th century
Frans Hals - Portrait of a man
Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant - Portrait of the Empress Alexandra Fyodrovna, 19th century
Friedrich August von Kaulbach - Portrait of Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna, 19th century
Jean-Baptiste Greuze - Portrait of a young woman, 18th century
Eduard Joseph d'Alton - Portrait of a woman, 19th century
Louis Hersent - Peter I of Russia and Louis XV of France
Charles Le Brun - Banishment of Iliadore
Adriaen Brouwer - Scene at a surgeon, 17th century
Johann Heinrich Roos - Herd, 1676
Louis Victor Watelin - Landscape, 1873
Gaspard Dughet - Landscape
Ivan Aivazovsky - The road in the woods, 1857
Ivan Shishkin - The road in the woods
Vasili Pukirev - Interrupted wedding
Usta Gambar Karabakhi - Tree of life
Mirza Kadym Irevani - Portrait of sitting woman, 1870
Ogtay Sadıgzadeh - Portrait of Khurshidbanu Natavan