Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan

In 1927, a Department of Fine Arts was opened within the State Museum of Local History. On September 29, 1939, a separate Museum of Fine Arts was established, with its foundation based on the collection of Russian artist A.A. Karelin.

From its earliest days, the museum developed national art. In 1942, its collection expanded with carpets, embroidery, and jewelry from the State Carpet-Making Association and Museum of Local History, plus artifacts collected from Turkmenistan's population.

The museum began receiving works by artists educated at the Art School of the East, founded in Turkmenistan in 1920.

Foreign Art Collection

The Department of Foreign Art features works by Western European and Russian artists, as well as applied art from India, Japan, and China. The museum also organized international traveling exhibitions.

Modern Era

On January 5, 1998, after the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan ceased to function as an independent institution, its collections were transferred to the newly opened National Museum of Turkmenistan. From that time until 2005, these items were exhibited and stored in the Fine Arts Department of the National Museum.

On February 17, 2005, with the opening of the new Museum of Fine Arts building, the collection was officially moved to its current location, where museum treasures are displayed in a spacious exhibition with extensive new possibilities.