State Art Museum of Altai Krai

About museum

The State Art Museum of Altai Krai was opened on February 6, 1959, in Barnaul. For the initial formation of the museum's collections, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Historical Museum, the Research Museum of the USSR Academy of Arts, the Pavlovsk Palace Museum, and local-history museums of Altai contributed. Secretary of the regional Communist Party committee V. I. Trushin played a major role in assembling the early collections. He acquired works from the reserves of the Ministry of Culture, from private collections in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Siberian cities, from exhibitions and artists' studios, and during expeditions throughout the region. More than a thousand works were donated by collectors, artists, and city residents. Currently the museum's collection numbers over 14,000 items. It prides itself on its collection of Russian art of the 16th–21st centuries, unique works by early Altai artists, Siberian icons, a rich research archive, and a specialized scientific library.