Art Gallery of Uzbekistan

Art Gallery of Uzbekistan, Tashkent

The richest collection of artworks of Uzbekistan from the beginning of the 20^th century up to the present day, as well as a unique collection of Central Asian coins are on display in the Art Gallery, which opened its doors on the eve of the celebration of Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2004. The first exhibition mostly included the collection of the Paintings Gallery of the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which was established in 1994 upon the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov.
Modern equipment installed in the Gallery allows for the maintenance of the most rigorous temperature, humidity and security conditions, necessary for the demonstration and storage of exhibits. Lecture and video rooms, and a library, master class studio, and workshops all certainly raise the new exhibition complex to the level of an international arts center.
Aside from its exhibition area of 8,500 sq.m, which is comprised of 15 showrooms, the Gallery includes a duly equipped conference hall for presentations, seminars, business meetings, video demonstrations and other events.
Visitors can relax in the cozy cafe and purchase souvenirs in the art shop.
The management of the museum is ready to work with various organizations and delegations in Uzbekistan and abroad.
The museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday
On the eve of the greatest and dearest holiday for the country, the Independence Day, the capital of Uzbekistan hosted the opening of a new unique cultural center - Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan.
The Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan built in the traditional national style originating from the architectural masterpieces of the most ancient world cultural centers such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, meets all the requirements to such structures.
The construction of facility, which occupied a worthy place in the new ensemble of independent Uzbekistan capital center involved not only rich architectural and historical heritage of Uzbek masters, but traditional local construction materials.
Process of Gallery construction considered experience gained by the largest museums and exhibition halls in Italy, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and Russia. This enabled construction of a unique cultural structure, which currently has no equals not only in Central Asia, but also in no other CIS country.
The latest equipment ensures compliance with the most stringent temperature, humidity and protective requirements needed to demonstrate and store the exhibitions. The building includes lecture and cinema halls, a library, a masterclass studio providing the Gallery with the status of the art center, enabling research and restoration works at a high professional level, hosting representative international exhibitions.
The first exhibition of Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan includes more than 300 paintings - the best examples of the original and visual arts of XXth century Uzbekistan represented by such vivid names as U. Tansykbaev, Usto Mumin, A. Abdullaev, N. Kuzibaev, M. Yuldashev, R. Gagloeva, B. Jalalov, L. Bure, P. Benkov, as well as young artists, whose works reflect the life of contemporaries rich with events that determine the present day and future of the republic.
The first exhibition of Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan was based on the collection of the Art Gallery of the National Bank created back in 1994.
Executing a mission of a bank leading in the development of the country's financial system and its main global representative assigned by the Government, the National Bank has never remained uninvolved in the social, spiritual and cultural life of the Republic.
The Bank's Art Gallery celebrating its 10th anniversary this year supports talented artists of Uzbekistan by promoting the best achievements of modern masters of fine art and the country's cultural wealth, and fulfills an important task preserving its cultural heritage. The First President emphasized this merit of the National Bank during his acquaintance with the exposition of the Gallery of Fine Arts.
The Bank regularly arranges exhibitions of works from its collection, organizes a number of regional exhibitions based on colorful paintings by local artists.
The National Bank regularly publishes art catalogs to popularize Uzbekistan's cultural heritage available today in museums and exhibition halls in almost all countries all over the world.
The Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan pays special attention to the collection of coins, which is the crown jewel of the National Bank art fund. It is not a stretch to note that the Bank's numismatic collection can compete in quality with the famous collections of major foreign museums, including the one in the British Museum in London.
This collection is unique since its major part includes regional minted coins previously not known to global historical science. We can just name here the coins from Sogd, Khorezm, Chach, Ustrushan, Central Asian governors of the Omeyyads and Abbasids, coins minted by the Timurids and other local dynasties. Thus, this collection covering 2,500 years of history is a confirmation of the deep culture and statehood of Uzbekistan. Presented coins are the best monuments for the history of high-civilized country evolutionizing in parallel with the ancient global civilizations.
The significance and value of the numismatic collection increases fundamentally thanks to the opportunity provided by the National Bank to a wide number of specialists and history fans to see the collection in catalogs disclosing a huge and regular research work of the Bank's Fine Arts Gallery. It is important that the collection of the National Bank preserved hundreds of magnificent monuments of monetary circulation being a real national treasure of Uzbekistan.
Besides the main developer and sponsor – the National Bank, the origination of the Fine Arts Gallery was actively supported by the Academy of Arts of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Culture, the Directorate of Art Exhibitions and the State Museum of Arts.
When the President examined the exhibition of the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan, he particularly notedthat one of the fundamental principles of modern Uzbekistan is the spiritual development of itsnation.
Own Fine Arts Gallery in the country means a profoundcommitment of Uzbek people to spiritual improvement, preservation and enhancement of their unique cultural and spiritual heritage, which is the key option for the great future of our country.

The Chorsu National Art Gallery is located in the historical center of Samarkand, near Registan Square and Sherdor Madrasah. The gallery building has an original hexagonal shape and domes - one large central and six small ones above each of the entrances. The building is old, it was built in the 15th century. It has a rather rich, centuries-old history. At the moment it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the historical part of the city. For many centuries this building was a place of active trade, as it was located at the intersection of world trade routes connecting Samarkand with Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Tashkent. The architectural monument has been reconstructed several times. In 2005, a major restoration of the building was carried out and after that the Art Gallery was opened. Today, the building of the Art Gallery presents the best works of contemporary Uzbek artists, both well-known and recognized, as well as beginning young talents, as well as museum exhibits of priceless works of the past. The Art Gallery regularly, once every few months, hosts exhibitions of paintings of various genres: landscapes, still lifes, portraits, images of ancient sights of Central Asia. All works exhibited in the gallery reflect everyday, historical and lyrical themes; the love of painters for the people, for its rich history, for the colorful nature of their native land. The works also reflect the traditions, culture and way of life of the Uzbek people. In a separate room, visitors can view works of sculptors and architects, posters and reproductions of traditional painted ceramics and other works of art.