President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the opening of a new building of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art.

Since ancient times, museum affairs in Azerbaijan have covered a long road of development. One of the country’s first museums, the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, is located in a two-storey building which was constructed in the center of the capital at the end of the 19th century. The museum’s collection includes works of Azerbaijani, Russian and West European artists and sculptors and is constantly enriched. The museum has consistently conducted research and scientific restoration and hosted chamber music concerts and various anniversary ceremonies.

Museum affairs in Azerbaijan have always been in the spotlight. The Order of President Ilham Aliyev dated 6 March 2007 "On the improvement of museum affairs in Azerbaijan" gave a strong impetus to qualitative changes in the preservation of the national cultural wealth and the transfer to future generations of valuable artifacts and works of art stored in museum collections. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has also made an invaluable contribution to the development of a network of museums and comprehensive improvement of the country’s museums.

The new building of the Azerbaijani National Museum of Art is yet another testament to the tremendous care and attention exhibited to this area at state level.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev provided the President with detailed information about the new building of the museum. It was noted that the new building was constructed on an original project commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Construction work began in 2009. Special attention during construction was paid to creating a harmony between national architectural traditions and the modern style. The photo stand on the first floor displays pictures describing the progress of construction and the appearance of the museum after the construction.

The construction of the new building of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art in accordance with the original design is evidence of the large-scale and quality nature of the reconstruction carried out in the country. Along with the elements of national architecture, international experience has been widely used. The lighting system attracts attention with its modernity. In the lobby of the museum, there are figures of people of the 1st-3rd centuries AD discovered during archaeological excavations in the ancient settlement of Khinisli in Shamakhi District. This is evidence of the fact that the art of sculpture in Azerbaijan has a very long history. The headstone in the shape of a horse found in Lachin District belongs to the 16th century.

Visitors will surely be interested in the museum’s art kiosk with souvenir publications in various languages. The metal collection of the new building contains various artifacts made of precious metals. The collection of paintings has more than 3,000 masterpieces created by artists from Azerbaijan, Western Europe, Russia and the East at different periods.

The graphics collection contains over 6,000 graphic works of Azerbaijani, Russian and West European artists. These collections operate the most sophisticated equipment manufactured in Finland.

Exhibited on the second floor of the new building are a number of interesting works by Omar Eldarov, Kamal Alakbarov and Jalal Garyagdi. The works of renowned sculptors Fuad Abdurahmanov, Mirali Mirgasimov, Omar Eldarov, Jalal Garyagdi, Tokay Mammadov and Sabsay Pinkhosa in portrait and other genres are truly impressive.

The ceiling attracts attention with its originality. The new building has a natural light system. The 70-80-seat auditorium is equipped is well suited for conducting any activities. It operates state-of-the-art projection equipment.

The President and his wife were informed about the exhibits on display at the various sections of the museum.

Azerbaijani art, which holds a prominent place in the world heritage, is richly represented at the museum. Gobustan rock paintings, zoomorphic dishes from Mingachevir, national miniature, diverse and unique carpets, ceramic and metal products are clear evidence of the ancient nature and artistic value of Azerbaijani art. Each gravestone available here is a profound source of research on ancient Azerbaijani history. Quite interesting are objects of medieval decorative art. The large carpets sold by merchants from Baku, Ganja, Shamakhi and Shaki in the markets of Western Europe were immensely popular at the time. Azerbaijan was traditionally famous for fleecy and lint-free carpets - kilim, palaz, varni, zili, sumac, etc. The museum demonstrates samples of the arts of embroidery, wood carving, jewelry, metalwork decorated with padded, geometric and floral patterns, and other works of arts and crafts. The museum has an extensive collection of embroidered costumes belonging to different regions of Azerbaijan. Also of great interest is the apparel of Azerbaijani soldiers.

The museum also has an exposition dedicated to the 90th birthday anniversary of great leader Heydar Aliyev. Of particular interest is a majestic portrait of the nationwide leader created in 1998. Also of great interest are the exhibits that reflect the full attention and concern of the great leader about Azerbaijani culture and art.

Then President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva reviewed the oil paintings by Sattar Bahlulzadeh, Tagi Tagiyev, Nadir Abdurrahmanov, Khalida Safarova, Baba Aliyev, Togrul Narimanbayov, Ogtay Sadikhzadeh, Tahir Salakhov and other prominent artists.

This year will also see the commencement of overhaul and restoration at another building of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art located at 9 Niyazi Street.

After reviewing the new building, President Ilham Aliyev gave relevant instructions and wished the museum team every success.