Museum of Fine Arts in Makhachkala

The Museum of Fine Arts in Makhachkala is one of the most interesting museums in Dagestan, along with the National Museum of Dagestan, which is located opposite it. In the Museum of Fine Arts you can see paintings of famous Russian artists. Many of them are devoted to Caucasian subjects.  

The Museum of Fine Arts in Makhachkala was established in 1958 and named after Patimat Saidovna Gamzatova, the wife of the famous Dagestani poet Rasul Gamzatov. From 1964 to 2000, she headed this museum. In its 10 halls you can see paintings, jewelry and weapons, antique ceramics, woodwork, embroidery, carpets and much more.  

Of particular value in the Museum of Fine Arts of Makhachkala is a wonderful collection of silver and coinage masters from the village of Kubachi, which is located in the mountains near Derbent. Their skill is known not only in Russia, but also in many countries of the Middle East. Products with stone carvings have a very high artistic value. 

In the Museum, you can see an interesting collection of ceramics, from jars of 3 thousand BC, found during archaeological excavations, to modern ceramics. The greatest fame in the manufacture of ceramics was achieved by masters from the villages of Balkhar, Julia, Ispik and the city of Derbent. 

The museum has a large collection of paintings by Russian artists Aivazovsky, Bryulov, Shishkin, Polenov, Vasnetsov and others. There is a famous painting by Shishkin "Morning in a Pine Forest". This picture is familiar to many in Russia from the wrapper of chocolates. The original of this painting is in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The Museum of Fine Arts of Makhachkala has a prototype of the famous picture painted by Shishkin in 1888. 

Pictures by various artists are of great interest, where the theme of the life of the mountain peoples of the Caucasus, as well as the Caucasian war, which lasted for more than 40 years, is revealed.  

The famous artist Francois Roubaud is known in Russia, thanks to giant canvases of battle scenes. He painted three battle paintings for panoramas. Their dimensions are 10-15 meters in height and more than 100 meters in length. These canvases were intended for circular pavilions. Roubaud`s most famous work, The Battle of Borodino in 1812, is kept in the Borodino Panorama in Moscow. The Panorama "Defense of Sevastopol" is also known. 

The very first panoramic painting by Francois Roubaud, painted in 1891, was "The Storming of the village of Akhulgo". Its dimensions are 12 meters in height, 120 meters in length. It was dedicated to the events of 1839, when Russian troops stormed the residence of Imam Shamil in the village of Akhulgo during the Caucasian War. Alas, no corresponding building was built for the painting. The canvas was kept folded for many years, and most of it was lost. Only a small fragment remains, which can be seen in the Museum of Fine Arts of Makhachkala. 

In addition to the panorama, you can see other works by Francois Roubaud on the theme of the Caucasian war: The Storming of the village of Gimry, the Storming of the village of Akhulgo, the Passage of Prince Argutinsky through the Caucasian Ridge. The painting by Theodore Gorsheld presents the plot "Shamil captured by Prince A.Baryatinsky, August 25, 1859."