Art Museum of Minsk: description, exhibitions

The State Art Museum (Minsk) received visitors for the first time in early November 1939. It was called the Picture Gallery until 1957.

How were the exhibits collected?

Works of art for the expositions were delivered from the historical museums of the Byelorussian SSR. Several exhibits were brought from the Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hermitage. Replenished art gallery with valuable pieces of art from ruined churches and churches of Belarus. The basis of the collection was painting. In the year of the opening, the art museum of Minsk was replenished with works of art from Western Belorussia. A large collection of portraits of the 16th-19th centuries, French tapestries of the 18th century, which belonged to the old Radziwill family from Nesvizh, was taken to the Picture Gallery of Minsk.

Military years

At the beginning of World War II, there were more than 2,700 items in the gallery, which were to be described and evaluated. All the artistic and historical values were prepared for shipment to the rear, but before the arrival of the fascist army, they did not have time to take it out. By September 1941, most valuable exhibits had been stolen by German invaders and transported to Germany. Over 200 exhibits of Russian and Western European painting, 89 sculptures, about 1300 items of Russian and Western European porcelain, 60 icons, several hundred works of Byelorussian artists of the XIX-XX centuries were irretrievably lost.

Postwar time

After the liberation, the Art Museum of Minsk was housed in 4 rooms of the Trade Unions' House, allotted for the museum. Occupied their place are those art objects, which before the war were given to exhibitions in different cities, and several paintings found in the city after liberation from the German invaders. Also, the exhibits that were in East Prussia were returned.

The staff of the gallery made great efforts to find and acquire works of art in the post-war period. In 1957, the gallery moved to a new two-story building along Kirov Street in Minsk, and from July 10 of the same year it was named the State Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. In the future, the Moscow Museum of Oriental Art in 1960, was presented with works of painting, a variety of products from porcelain and ceramics, objects of applied art.

The development of the museum in 1990-2000.

In 1993 the museum became known as the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. In 1999, he was allocated a building along Lenin Street, house 20 in Minsk, where he is currently. It was built especially for the museum. In 2007, a new building of the museum-city was prepared for exhibitions under a glass roof in the form of a dome. In the halls with a transparent ceiling, there is lightness, transparency. The main entrance to the art museum from Lenin Street, decorated with columns and sculptures, looks monumental and solemn. In the lobby, wide, comfortable staircases lead to the second floor, to the open gallery and to the suites of the exhibition halls.

Exhibitions in the National Art Museum of Minsk

The variety of permanent exhibitions that can be seen in the museum is striking.

• Ancient art of the Byelorussian people XII-XVIII century. Contains 120 exhibits: icons, carving, weaving and artistic casting.
• The exhibition of the Belarusian art of the XIX century acquaints visitors with the collection of works by Polish artists: Ivan Khrutsky, Apollinaria Gorovskogo.
• Belarusian art of the XX-XXI century. It is shown by 380 works of 193 artists.
• The exhibition in the art museum in Minsk, dedicated to Russian art of the XVIII-XX century, represents 5000 or more works of masters in sculpture, art graphics, painting, arts and crafts.
• Particular attention is drawn to the paintings of V. Pukirev, I. Aivazovsky, V. Tropinin, B. Kustodiev, I. Shishkin, I. Levitan, M. Vrubel, I. Shashkova.
• Exhibition of European Art XVI-XX century. Acquaints with pictures and portraits of artists of Italy, works of painting on religious subjects of masters of the Netherlands.
• The exposition of the Flemish art shows works by artists from Austria, England, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Poland.
• Sculptures of sculptors of Italy, porcelain pieces of European manufactories of the XVIII-XX century are also exhibited.
• Art objects of the eastern countries of the XV-XX century. Were exhibited in the gallery since 1950, when the Ministry of Culture of the PRC allocated a collection of works of decorative and applied art as a gift.

The Art Museum of Minsk is currently

The Art Museum of the city of Minsk has become one of the major scientific and educational centers and is the source of the cultural life of the whole republic. In the branches, funds, reserves and expositions of the museum there are 30,000 works. The museum actively participates in writing books and albums about art, has a very rich library fund. Within its walls there is a creative workshop for children for 20 years, an art-playground for interesting meetings with representatives of art, literature and music. A variety of master classes are held. Excursions are not ordinary, visitors are sure to expect pleasant and cognitive surprises.

In the art cafe, which opened in 2013, there are different exhibitions, performances of musicians, screenings of films about art. It is planned to open new pavilions, an art-restaurant, a shop for souvenirs and paintings, a sculpture park.

The adjacent buildings are connected to the main building along Lenin Street. The total area of the art museum is almost 9 thousand square meters. In addition to the exhibition halls, there are storages of works of art, workshops for restoration.

An integral part of the gallery are 200 employees who work tirelessly in the field of art. The Art Museum of Minsk is always open to visitors.