Irkutsk Regional Art Museum named after V.P. Sukachev

The first collectors of works of art appeared in Irkutsk in the XVIII century. The most significant collection of paintings belonged to Vladimir Platonovich Sukachev, the mayor. This collection served as the basis for the creation of an art museum.

Dreaming of a public gallery, in the 1870s he bought several paintings of Russian artists in St. Petersburg. By the end of the century, the Sukachev Gallery had more than 80 excellent paintings by Russian and Western European masters, several sculptures. The paintings of Russian painters I. Repin, K. Trutovsky, L. Solomatkin, V. Maximov, K. Makovsky made up the glory of his collection. Sukachevsky House, which housed the only art gallery in Siberia, was open to residents and guests of the city.

In 1898, V.P. Sukachev and his family moved to St. Petersburg. He left his collection to a confidant. During the First World War, the paintings were exhibited at various charity exhibitions.

During the Civil War, difficult days came for the gallery, left unattended. It was saved from looting by the Irkutsk Society for the Encouragement of Artists and ordinary citizens.

After the establishment of Soviet power in Irkutsk on February 21, 1920, the gallery of V.P. Sukachev was nationalized. From that time until the beginning of the Second World War, the museum’s funds were enriched with works of oriental art that previously belonged to the museum at the East Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society, paintings from private collections of Irkutians.

The further formation of the collection was helped by the Leningrad and Moscow branches of the State Museum Fund and various institutions of Irkutsk.

On January 17, 1936, by the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, the gallery was allocated to an independent East Siberian Art Museum (since 1937 - Irkutsk Regional Art Museum). Its first director was the artist G. Dudin.

A great contribution to the formation of the collection was made by Alexey Dementievich Fatiyanov, who in 1948 took the post of director of the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum. During the 29 years of his leadership, the number of exhibits of the museum increased from 3057 to 12400.

During the 1950-1970s, the museum funds were actively replenished at the expense of private gifts. Through the state museum funds of Moscow and Leningrad, from private collectors such as N. Velichko, Y. Nevzorov, F. Vishnevsky, the Irkutsk Art Museum received works of artists A. Savrasov, V. Surikov, I. Kramsky, I. Shishkin, I. Repin, I. Levitan, works of Dutch, German, French painters, rare icons of the 16-18 centuries.