On October 2тв, the opening of the exhibition “In the Beginning Was the Word… and Music, Colors, and Thoughts” took place at the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Austria.
The exhibition, showcasing the development of national cultural identity through the unity of Azerbaijani literature, music, theater, and visual arts, was organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, the State Museum of Musical Culture of Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijan State Theatre Museum named after Jafar Jabbarli.
At the opening ceremony, Leyla Gasimova, Director of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Vienna, and Shirin Malikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, emphasized the significance of the exhibition in presenting the rich cultural heritage and educational traditions of Azerbaijan to an international audience.

The exhibition centers around such prominent figures as Mirza Gadim Iravani, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Hasan bey Zardabi, and Mirza Fatali Akhundzadeh. Building upon rich traditions, these figures brought enlightenment ideas and innovative perspectives into national culture, turning theater, painting, press, and music into instruments of social progress.

Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Mirza Gadim Iravani (1825–1875), the founder of realist easel painting in Azerbaijani fine art, the exhibition features works from the collection of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art. Visitors were presented with graphic drawings representing both the early and mature periods of the artist’s career, combining elements of traditional miniature style with Western European realism — including “Portrait of Qajar Princess Mah Talat Khanum,” “Portrait of Qajar Prince Vajiullah Mirza,” “Portrait of a Noblewoman,” “Rose and Nightingale,” “Portrait of Fath-Ali Shah,” and “Soldier.”

The exhibition “In the Beginning Was the Word… and Music, Colors, and Thoughts” was also presented to the public on October 4, 2025, as part of the “Long Night of Museums” project, organized for the 25th time by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), with the participation of over 700 museums and cultural institutions. The exhibition attracted great interest from numerous visitors.