The Museum Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan is located in the heart of the city at the Seaside Boulevard (Neftchilar 123 a). The building of the Museum Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic consists of four floors with a total cubic capacity of 46,800 m3. It was designed by architect Hasan Mejidov in 1960 to the 90th anniversary of the leader of the Communist Party Lenin and put into operation in 1961 as a branch of the Moscow Museum of Lenin. Then it was the only building that was built in the republic as a museum with the adjacent conservation area. This is one of the most interesting architectural sights of the city, protected by the state. The facade of the building is decorated with national patterns, and a wide staircase and massive columns emphasize its monumentality.
In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the building was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and renamed the Museum Center, which in recent years has become an actively visited center of culture in our city and has become a favorite venue for various events.
Currently, the State Museum of Azerbaijan Carpet and Applied Art, State Museum of Theatre and National Museum of Independence "Istiqlal" and the foundation of the Azerbaijan State Museum of the History of Religion are located in the building.
In a relatively short period of its existence the Art Gallery of the Museum Centre of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has established itself as one of the most active exhibition spaces in the city of Baku.
Due to the architectural layout and variety of exhibitions, the Gallery has won himself the image of the most respectable cultural scene of a unique exhibition of Azerbaijani capital projects.
Since 1999, the Gallery conducted for about two hundred exhibitions on various subjects. Despite the flexibility, the Gallery mostly supports projects that are associated with conceptual art of Azerbaijan. In one of the first exhibitions "Ring Time" (2002), dedicated to Azerbaijani Transavantgarde, the tone that defined the entire follow-up Gallery was set.
Following this exhibition, first photo festival Baku "Aina" (2002) was conducted, which showed works by Azerbaijani and foreign photographers.
One of the most memorable was the joint exhibition, imbued with a special aroma of Caucasian Azerbaijani – Georgian friendship, project “more transparent" that was organized by the association named "Wings of Time". Artists, significant to both of Republics were exposed in the relevant arts: video art, photography, installation and performance.
In 2003, gallery launched International Festival of Contemporary Art "Aluminum. Art + New Technologies". It was, organized by the association "Wings of Time" and presented to Baku public the firework frame of capabilities concluded in the most interactive forms of contemporary art. Since 2006, the Gallery conducted own projects, namely: the exhibition of Azerbaijani artists from the cycle "Four Seasons" – "Colors of Autumn", "Spring. Woman. Love"," Impression of Summer"," Winter Harmony", the exhibition "Rainbow of Love", very interesting exhibition took place within days of culture of the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Tatarstan and Saudi Arabia. Also much attention is given to international projects. With a great success the Gallery held an exhibition of five lines of the German photographer Klaus Wickrath, personal exhibition of the famous Bulgarian artist Emil Stoychev, photo exhibition "Illumination" by representative of the American school of modern photography Tuba Oztekin Koymen. Each exhibition, following its own logic, facilitates the identification of new opportunities of the Gallery, which seem to be inexhaustible.
History of Gallery is closely intertwined with the history of the Museum Center. During the Soviet era, when Lenin Museum (formerly the Museum Center) was a kind of ideological "temple" Gallery served as an exhibition space. The first exhibition event of the Museum Center was the opening day, dedicated to the first human flight into space in 1961. There were grand opening days with the participation of domestic and foreign authors. Those days exactly, wisely usage of the "advantages" of the top floor that creates ideal upper daylight for paintings was set.
In the late 80’s, when the Soviet Union spent its last years, the Gallery was an opened Museum of the Komsomol Central Committee of Communist. The organizers of the Committee have violated a unique aura halls by cutting off the overhead light. But this committee had not survived for a long time. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Lenin Museum was renamed to the Museum Center and Gallery and regained its original appearance. Depending on the particular objectives of the exhibition, the natural daylight top and "point" or artificial light for each individual artifact can be used. Art Gallery consists of five spacious halls, covering 400m ².
Hours:
Tue – Sun: 10.00 – 18.00
Closed on Monday
Administration:
Mon – Fri: 09.00 – 18.00
Closed: Saturday, Sunday
Friends, pay your attention, to the fact that the time and days of the Museum Centre of the Ministry of Culture and tourism of Azerbaijan Republic may change , so before visiting it we recommend you to call +994 (12) 493-72-87