The National Gallery of Armenia is considered one of the largest museums of fine arts in the territory of the former Soviet republics. Its funds contain more than 35 thousand works of Armenian, Russian, Western European and Eastern masters. Fifty-six gallery halls constantly present close to 26 thousand units of drawings, canvases, icons, arts and crafts.
The Department of Western European Art exhibits close to 170 paintings, and the fund contains over 350 drawings and canvases. This is the largest collection in Armenia, and it is divided into four main expositions. Here are Italian, French, Dutch and Flemish schools of painting, among which are also shown the works of German, Spanish, Swiss masters. Over 180 graphic works of Western Europe of the 16th-17th centuries are stored in the National Picture Gallery of Armenia.
Russianart
The earliest pieces in the collection date back to the second half of the 18th century and represent a number of sculptures, portraits and several landscapes. For permanent review, the section displays close to 230 paintings, among which are ten paintings by Levitan, five works by Shishkin, an extensive selection of paintings by Surikov, Serov, Repin, Vrubel, Petrov-Vodkin, and other famous Russian masters. The new art of the period of the 19th - early 20th century in the National Gallery of Armenia is reflected in the canvases of the symbolist artists Borisov-Musatov and Anisfeld, the canvases of famous Russian avant-garde and abstract artists, among which one work by Marc Chagall and two paintings by Wassily Kandinsky is exhibited.
The art of Armenia, the work of Aivazovsky
The museum exposition is considered the country's largest collection of national art and includes over 700 exhibits. Medieval works, miniatures and frescoes are authentic copies. The rich collection consists of paintings of the 18th-19th centuries by the famous Hovnatanyan dynasty. Works created by five generations of artists are considered the national treasure of Armenia.
In the extensive collection of painters of the 19th - the first half of the 20th century, you can see paintings by Aghajanyan, Surenyants, Terlemezyan, watercolors by Fetvajyan, vivid landscapes by Saryan, expressionist works by Tadevosyan, Marina Makhonyan, paintings by other Armenian artists.
A separate exposition is the biggest pride of the gallery - a collection containing over 60 works by Ivan Aivazovsky. This is especiallysignificant, since the Russian artist was a descendant of the Armenian Ayvazyan family. The National Gallery in Armenia is second only to the Feodosia Art Gallery in terms of the number of paintings by this outstanding marine painter.
Collection of Dutch and Flemish Masters
The rich collection is represented mainly by works of the 17th century, which is considered an outstanding era of Dutch painting and is called the golden age. There is also a significant collection of Dutch graphics. In the gallery you can see paintings by outstanding Flemish artists van Dyck and Rubens, genre painting by Teniers the Younger, Momper's landscape and works by other masters.
The National Gallery of Armenia presents works by Dutch artists, among which the following are considered especially valuable:
- works of genre painting by Netsher, Codde, Dusart;
- landscapes of Backhuizen, Everdingen, Berchem, Dujardin, Poulenburg, Moucheron;
- portrait composition of Goltzius;
- still lifes of Venix, Beieren, Klas;
- paintings by Stommer, Wauerman, Velde, Jos and other masters.
Italian and French collections
A magnificent selection of Italian paintings is presented by the creations of the XIV-XVIII centuries, and, according to reviews of the art gallery of Armenia, it arouses the most keen interest of visitors. The brightest and most capacious collection is made up of paintings by artists of the High Renaissance and the 17th century. Among the largest Italian creatorsthe masterpieces of Tintoretto, Strozzi, Guercino, Bassano, Giordano, Bernardino, Cardboard, Guardi, Ricci, Signorelli, and many other famous painters and graphic artists stand out.
The largest number of works in the Western European collection contains French painting. The National Gallery of Armenia contains works by such outstanding artists of the 18th century as Fragonard, Nattier, Courtois, Drouet, Largilliere, Van Loo, Boucher, Lancret, Lemoine, Vernet, Robert. French pictorial realism is represented by the largest representatives of the Barbizon school: Diaz, Rousseau, Courbet, Zim. The halls exhibit works of predecessors and representatives of modern painting, French graphics and a small selection of sculptures.
Other works
The museum contains a small number of works by Spanish, German and Swiss masters, among which the true masterpieces are:
- painting by Spanish Mannerist Morales;
- Goya's etching "Bulls";
- four graphic works by Salvador Dali;
- one engraving by Beham;
- nine graphic sheets by Durer;
- a canvas by the Swiss landscape painter Kalam.
The building of the National Art Gallery of Armenia is located at the address: house number one on Arami Street in Yerevan. The museum is located in the city center and faces the Republic Square.
The gallery often hosts periodic exhibitions of works of Armenian and foreign art, as well as numerous cultural events. The museum receives about65 thousand tourists. Every day, except for public holidays and Mondays, the doors of the gallery are open for tourists from 11 am to 5 pm.
