Irkutsk Regional Art Museum

The basis of the collection was the picture gallery of the mayor of Irkutsk, Vladimir Platonovich Sukachev , collected by him at the end of the XIX century. The museum has more than 23 thousand works of painting , drawing , sculpture , decorative and applied arts .

The museum is located in several historic mansions in the city center; The museum also includes a manor complex with a park and wooden buildings:

1. A two-storey stone mansion with a park in the center of the city ( Lenin Street , 5), 1905-1907, architect D. R. Magidei. Expositions of Russian and Western European art of the XVII - early XXI century, art of the countries of the East (China, Japan, Mongolia) of the XIV-XX centuries. Today it is the main building of the museum. Public transport stop "Art Museum".
2. Two-storey stone mansion in the city center ( Karl Marx str. , 23), 1893, architects G.V. Rozon, V.A. Rassushin, V.A. Kudelsky and others; a two-story stone mansion in the city center (Karl Marx street, 25), 1880–1882, the first owner was I. I. Bazanov, and later A. B. Vollerner. The exposition of Siberian art of the XVII - beginning of the XXI century and a gallery for exhibitions. Public transport stop "Deli number 1"
3. The estate of V. P. Sukachev is a park in the city center with wooden houses and gazebos located on its territory ( December Events Street , 112). Earlier, the estate belonged directly to V. P. Sukachev, but in Soviet times it fell into decay. At the beginning of the XXI century, part of the buildings was fully restored. The winter garden, the billiard room, the stable, the main house, etc. are recreated. Today, the estate houses the memorial and artistic exposition of the family of V. P. Sukachev, various exhibitions are held. Public transport stop "Manor Sukachev."

1. The estate of A. N. Ghindin in the center of Irkutsk ( Sverdlov St. , 16). Here is the sculpture gallery. Public transport stop "Art Museum".

A unique section of the collection is a rare collection of monuments of the most ancient cultures of the Baikal region (small plastic materials - “Paleolithic Venus”, neolithic anthropomorphic and zoomorphic images). The section of Old Russian art (icon, wooden sculpture, copper casting of the 15th - early 20th century) includes icons of Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Athos masters, “northern letters”, as well as the most valuable collection of icons and wooden sculpture of Siberian masters. Russian art of the XVIII-first half of the XIX century is represented by a portrait ( parsuna , P. Rotary, F. Rokotov, D. Levitsky, V. Borovikovsky, V. Tropinin, etc.), landscape (Semyon Shchedrin, F. Matveyev, D. Levitsky, V. Tropinin and others.). Russian art of the second half of the XIX century - paintings by I. Shishkin, I. Repin, V. Surikov, V. Polenov, V. Makovsky and others. The collection of Russian art of the XX century represents all the main areas and groupings: “ World of Art ”, “ Union of Russians artists ”,“ Jack of Diamonds ”,“ 4 arts ”,“ Moscow painters ”, etc. Of particular interest is the collection of works by Irkutsk artists (N. Andreev, A. Zhibinov, A. Vychugzhanin, A. Rubtsov, A. Alekseev, A. Kostovsky, V. Smagin , V. Kuzmin , G. Novikova, B. Desyatkin, N. Vershinin, etc.). The valuable part of the collection is Russian graphics, decorative and applied arts (including works by the Faberge company ). The collection of Western European art is represented by paintings of Italy, Holland, Flanders, France, Germany, Austria, art of the XVII-XX centuries, including paintings by H. Terbruggen, G. Segers, F. Vouverman, Domenichino and others. A wonderful section of the collection - art of the countries of the East (China, Japan, Mongolia: bronze, enamel, engraving, varnishes, porcelain, etc.)

The first curator of the gallery from 1920 to 1926 was Konstantin Innokentievich Pomerantsev (1884−1945) - painter, sculptor and architect, one of the organizers and leaders of the Irkutsk Society of Artists. Irkutsk painter and graphic artist Boris Ivanovich Lebedinsky (1891−1972) was in charge of the art gallery from 1926 to 1932. During these years, the collection was replenished with first-class works of Russian masters of the 18th - early 20th centuries from the State Museum Fund.

In 1936, an independent art museum opened in Irkutsk. The first director was the artist Georgy Ivanovich Dudin (1936−1948). A very special role in the further formation of the collection belongs to Alexey Dementievich Fatyanov (1915-2001), who worked in the museum for more than 50 years, of which for about 40 years he was the permanent director of the museum. Today in the Gallery of Siberian art (Karl Marx str., 23) there is a memorial room of A. D. Fatyanov.

More than 30 years (1952−1983) worked in the museum Lidia G. Pukhovskaya (1924−2009) - one of the famous art historians of Siberia, honored cultural worker of the RSFSR.

In 1983–2015, the museum was headed by Elena Zubriy, Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation. For three decades of her work, the number of works of art in the museum collection has increased from 13,000 to 22 thousand items.

In May 2015, the museum was headed by Alexander Vladimirovich Gimelshtein, professor, candidate of historical sciences. For his great contribution to the study and preservation of cultural heritage by the Decree of the President of Russia in 2011 he was awarded the medal of A.S. Pushkin. Winner of the 2012 Russian Government Prize. Laureate of the Governor of the Irkutsk region in the field of culture and art in 2003 and 2014.

In June 2016, Natalia S. Sysoyeva, a painter, participant of more than 150 exhibitions, laureate and winner of exhibitions and conferences at the All-Russian and international level, was appointed director of the museum. Since 2011, she has been the chairman of the Irkutsk regional branch of the Russian Union of Artists.

One of the most valuable works in the museum's collection is the painting “Beggar. Fisherwoman Girl, written by I. E. Repin in 1874. The work was acquired directly by V.P. Sukachev during a visit to the artist’s workshop, after which the “Beggar” ended up in Irkutsk. In the middle of the 20th century, the Tretyakov Gallery became interested in the picture. The Irkutsk Museum was offered to exchange “The Girl-Fisherman” for another work of Repin and two portraits of Surikov. The head of the IOCM, Alexei Fatyanov, then managed to defend the right of the Irkutsk Museum for his painting as a result of long negotiations. Today “Beggar. Girl-fisherwoman "is the" pearl "of the art museum. V. P. Sukachev.

Another amazing story is connected with A. Plastova’s “Dinner of the tractor driver”. For the first time this work appeared at the All-Union Exhibition in 1952, where it was criticized for its “fascination with painting to the detriment of ideological content.” The central museums didn’t show interest in “The Dinner of the Tractorists”, and the Irkutsk Art Museum applied for a painting, and Plastova’s work went to Irkutsk. After the “Khrushchev Thaw”, the art historians, as they say, opened their eyes. In 1955, the painting was temporarily transferred to the State Tretyakov Gallery at the exhibition with a return guarantee. But more than seven years passed, and the Tretyakov Gallery did not return the picture. According to legend, with the demand to return the picture to Irkutsk, the urban community headed by IOKhM director A. Fatyanov reached NS Khrushchev, who supported the Siberians, indicating that the picture should be returned to the “energy center of Siberia”. Later, in 1961, Plastov wrote a repetition of the "Dinner of the tractor drivers", which is now in the Tretyakov Gallery ^[1] .

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