On May 30, the exhibition “Western Azerbaijan in Our Cultural Memory” opened at the Ankara Museum of Painting and Sculpture, featuring artworks from the collection of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art.
Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the renowned artist and founder of realist painting in Azerbaijani national art, Mirza Gadim Iravani (1825–1875), the exhibition is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Ankara, the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, and the Ankara Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
The opening ceremony was attended by a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Saadat Yusifova, along with representatives from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and TURKSOY.
During the event, Saadat Yusifova and Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye Serdar Çam delivered speeches emphasizing the significant role of Mirza Gadim Iravani in the development of Azerbaijani visual art and the importance of holding such exhibitions for promoting historical memory and cultural heritage.
Following the ribbon-cutting, the exhibition was officially opened to visitors. Director of the ANMA, Shirin Malikova, provided detailed information about the exhibition’s concept.
The exhibition features nearly 40 unique works from the museum’s collection, including graphic portraits of Mirza Gadim Iravani, reproductions of mural panels that once adorned the Sardar Palace in Iravan, and a digitally reimagined palace interior created with the help of artificial intelligence.
The display also includes works depicting Iravan by artists I. Zankovski and N. Grushev, the “Refugees” series by prominent artist Bahruz Kangarli, portraits by People’s Artist Huseyn Aliyev, and decorative-applied art pieces reflecting the aristocratic atmosphere of the Iravan palace environment.
As part of the opening ceremony, the artistic-documentary film “Dream of Paradise”, produced under the “Creative Azerbaijan” project by the order of the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan in honor of Mirza Gadim Iravani’s 200th anniversary, was screened.
It is worth noting that this exhibition marks the first large-scale presentation of Mirza Gadim Iravani’s legacy and the visual and decorative-applied art of Western Azerbaijan in Türkiye.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors until July 18, 2025.