State Art Museum of the Altai Territory

The State Art Museum of Altai Krai was opened in Barnaul on February 6, 1959. The staffing of the museum was assisted by the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Historical Museum, the Research Museum of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, the Pavlovsk Palace Museum, as well as local history museums of Altai.

An important role in the acquisition of the museum funds at the initial stage was played by Secretary of the CPSU Regional Committee V.I. Trushin. He personally appealed for help to the central museums, selected works in the vaults of the Ministry of Culture. Later, all the leading employees of the museum were engaged in completing the collection, acquiring works in private collections of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Siberian cities, from exhibitions and from artists’ workshops, on expeditions around the region.

More than a thousand works were donated by collectors, artists, residents of the city. Currently, the collection of the museum has more than 14,000 items of storage. The museum is proud of its collection of Russian art of the XVI-XXI centuries, unique works of the first artists of Altai, a Siberian icon, a rich scientific archive, a specialized scientific library.