History

There is no fixed subject area in the Museum, no imposed routes. Any of two points, two exhibits, and two segments of the Museum are interconnected. The idea of architectural concept of the Museum – the halls with no corner, open passages, inclined walls under various angle – allows to create multidimensional perspective view of pictures, there is a semblance of motion, and metal beams and designs placed all over the space unite all the parts into a single "moving abstract structure.” There are no confined spaces in the Museum. A two-storey building is designed as a whole with an architectural linking device – an art-object of “forgotten staircase”. The author of the Museum concept, architecture and design, the collection and exposition selection is the artist Altai Sadiqzadeh.

The museum openness to new trends and experiments gives a possibility to get acquainted more closely with peculiar works of such artists, as Rasim Babayev, Ashraf Murad, Gennadi Brijatjuk, Fazil Najafov, Mamed Mustafayev, Agha Ousseinov, Ali Ibadullaev, Mirnadir Zeynalov, Fuad Salayev, Farhad Halilov, Darvin Velibekov, Eldar Mamedov, Mikail Abdurahmanov, Museib Amirov, Mahmud Rustamov, Huseyn Hagverdi, Eliyar Alimirzayev, Rashad Babayev, Altai Sadiqzadeh whose works in the context of the Azerbaijan painting of 1960-70s amaze with the novel approach. The project’s main objective is the protection and development of the Azerbaijan school of painting, including the support program of young, bright and already recognized artists, such as Niyaz Najafov, Rashad Babayev, Vugar Muradov, whose works are also exposed in our Museum. Nevertheless, the Museum exposition has products of great European masters – founders of avant-garde style in the world art – Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall. Also the classics of the western realism are presented by several pictures from private collection. In the concept of the Museum the key idea was a special approach in the formation of a special space for framing of modern Azerbaijan art, avoiding of analogy to well known modern European museums.

The Azerbaijan fine arts could be named as “internal memory” of our people. Also the collection of Azerbaijan classics of figurative art in this period is presented, they are: Sattar Bahlulzadeh, Tair Salahov, Mikail Abdullaev, Huseyn Aliev, Taghi Taghiev, Nadir Abdurahmanov, Elmira Shahtahtinskaya, Nadir Qasimov, Oqtay Sadiqzadeh, Tokay Mamedov, Toghrul Narimanbekov, Omar Eldarov. The Museum of Modern Art is an original well of masterpieces of the modern epoch, presenting over 800 works of art of the Azerbaijan artists and sculptors of the last 70 years. The part of the exposition includes "the unknown" layer of national art referring to the layer of "another" art, generated at period of the Soviet regime. These are unique works of Ashraf Murad, Kamal Ahmed, Mirjavadov Javad, Rasim Babayev.

Contrary to classical museum traditions, the exposition proceeds even out of the exhibition space, being present at spaces of art cafe and the restaurant, included into Museum structure. In the Museum the exposition of children’s fine arts also takes place giving possibility for development children’s interests and familiarizing them with the world of beauty; a video-hall meant for display of documentaries; exhibition hall for private exhibitions, and also a library and a bookshop in which the collection of books on world art, architecture and sculpture are presented for the visitors of the Museum.

Another joining factor is the color –every part of the museum is white. The museum itself is a showcase of avant-garde art with its free architectural forms, conspicuous metallic structures, a well-chosen and artistically designed exposition of paintings and sculptures.