Kondratiy Belov Museum in Omsk

The artist Kondratiy Petrovich Belov was born on March 23, 1900. His childhood and youth were spent in the Siberian village of Pacha, located on the banks of the Tom River. In his memoirs the artist wrote that the nature of his native land, its people and the unhurried rhythm of life influenced his artistic development.

K. P. Belov, 'The Village of My Youth'

Belov painted from memory, recreating Siberian landscapes, vanished churches, cathedrals and residential houses as he remembered them from his early youth — thus he sought to preserve the historic appearance of his native region. Friends and contemporaries called him 'the patriarch of Siberian painting', and the expressions 'Belov's color' and 'Kondratiy's sky' became commonplace in artistic circles. During his lifetime Belov was awarded the titles People's Artist of Russia and Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR.

The Kondratiy Belov Museum is housed in a pre-revolutionary one-story house of entrepreneur, horse breeder and member of the Russian Geographical Society Philipp Filippovich Shtumpf. Kondratiy Petrovich managed to choose the building for his museum while still alive. One of the factors influencing the choice of the house was the desire to save a unique wooden architectural monument from demolition.

The artist bequeathed his works to Omsk, which became the foundation of the museum's collection. The museum's holdings number over 700 items. The collection includes Kondratiy Belov's paintings and graphics, memoirs, photographs and documents. The museum's permanent exhibition features important works by K. P. Belov such as 'The Village of My Youth', 'Flooding on the Irtysh', 'City on the Irtysh', 'Timber Rafting on the Irtysh' and others. The exhibition also includes a small collection of paintings by the artist's son, Stanislav Kondratyevich Belov. The museum hosts about 12–14 temporary exhibitions a year, and the collection is regularly supplemented with works by Omsk artists.

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