Aivazovsky House-Museum in Feodosia

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The greatest Russian marine painter of Armenian origin - Ivan (Hovhannes) Konstantinovich Aivazovsky - was born, lived for a long time and died in Feodosia, where he was buried in the courtyard of the Church of St. Sargis. His love for his native city was boundless, and throughout his life he made generous donations for its improvement and infrastructure development. However, the artist's main gift to his countrymen was the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia.

Backstory

For the first time, the exhibition hall, located in one of the wings of the mansion where the artist lived with his family, opened its doors to the audience at the end of the 1840s. At that time, everyone could see the collection, consisting of 49 seascape paintings, which were waiting to be sent to exhibitions in various European countries and in St. Petersburg. In 1880, a gallery designed by Aivazovsky himself was added to the mansion.which became the first museum of one artist in Russia. It was very popular, and among vacationers in the Crimean resorts it was considered good form to visit Feodosia in order to get acquainted with the work of the world-famous seascape painter. During his lifetime, the gallery in Aivazovsky's house also served as a concert hall, where famous musicians and actors often performed. Thus, thanks to the artist, at the end of the 19th century, Feodosia became the center of the cultural life of the Crimean peninsula, where foreign travelers also aspired to get.

History of the Museum

A few years before his death, in 1900, Aivazovsky decided to bequeath the gallery to his native city. After the revolution, the building housed the Cheka for some time, and part of the collection was plundered or destroyed. Fortunately, the gallery soon received the status of a state museum and became protected by the state. During the war years, at the cost of incredible efforts, the museum's collection was saved by being evacuated to Yerevan. There, the paintings were placed in the building of the National Gallery of Armenia and returned to their native walls after the liberation of Crimea from the invaders. At the moment, the house-museum of Aivazovsky in Feodosia is considered one of the most famous cultural institutions of the Crimea. The gallery is visited annually by several tens of thousands of tourists.

Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia: collection

Today, the gallery has more than 12,000 paintings and various exhibits. Among them are more than 400 works by Ivan Aivazovsky, so the Feodosia Museum hasthe world's largest collection of the artist's works.

Among the most famous works of the great marine painter, which are exhibited there, are such masterpieces of painting as "The ship "Maria" on the North Sea", "Georgievsky Monastery", "Sea. Koktebel”, “Sevastopol Raid”, etc. Visiting the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia, you can also see the painting “Among the Waves” measuring 282 by 425 cm, which is the largest canvas of the artist.

Structure

Although the main attraction of the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia is the master's paintings, there you can also see paintings by Western European artists and other interesting exhibits related to the family of the great marine painter.

The exposition consists of three parts:

• large showroom;
• house of Ivan Aivazovsky and his family;
• the house of the artist's sister.

In turn, the house has 2 halls for temporary exhibitions, the exposition "Special Pantry" and another one dedicated to the work of I. K. Aivazovsky.

No less interesting works can be seen in the house of the artist's sister. In particular, canvases by Western European artists of the 17th-19th centuries and a collection of paintings by the master on biblical subjects are exhibited there.

Ivan Aivazovsky's family home

Having gone abroad in 1840 among other distinguished graduates of the Academy of Arts, Aivazovsky in just a few years achieves recognition in Europe and returns to Feodosia as a very we althy man. This allows him to buildhome for his seven in Italian style. Soon, a chic mansion for those times appeared on the embankment, where, along with the rooms of the household and rooms for receiving guests, workshops and an exhibition hall were located. As already mentioned, today the house is part of the Aivazovsky Museum, and there, among other things, there is a special safe room where valuable items belonging to the artist and his family are exhibited. The painter's house also houses a unique photo archive, which presents family pictures taken at the end of the 19th century.

Ekaterina Konstantinovna's house

In Armenian families it has always been customary to settle next door to relatives. Therefore, near the house of Aivazovsky in the middle of the 19th century, his sister Katarina (Ekaterina) settled. The mansion belonging to her has survived to this day and today is part of the museum of the famous marine painter. There are works by European artists, mostly dedicated to the sea. In addition, paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky, painted on biblical and religious themes, are exhibited in the Sister's House. This part of the museum's collection is especially interesting, as it is less known than the painter's marine works. But Aivazovsky, whose brother (Gabriel Konstantinovich) was an archbishop and one of the professors of the Armenian Academy of Mekhitarist Monks in Venice, had a particularly reverent attitude towards Christianity. Among the biblical works that can be seen in the Sister's House, the following can be noted: "Walking on the Water", "The Last Supper", "Baptism", "Prayer for the Chalice" and others.

To deathAlexandra

There is also an exhibition of one painting in my sister's house. This painting, which is completely uncharacteristic for the artist, is called “On the Death of Alexander”. Aivazovsky wrote it during the days of mourning for the peacemaker emperor, who died from illnesses caused by an injury received in a railway accident. A legend of a mystical nature is associated with the painting, in which the viewer begins to believe after standing for several minutes in front of the canvas, made in ominous dark colors. Interestingly, the artist himself has never exhibited this work of his, and no one has seen it for almost 100 years.

Monument to Aivazovsky

Hometown has always appreciated the charitable activities of the artist. In particular, those who come to the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia, whose photos adorn almost all tourist brochures dedicated to Crimea, can see the monument to the great marine painter. It is installed in the courtyard of the painter's house, and the inscription is engraved on its pedestal: "Feodosia - to Aivazovsky." In addition, there are several other monuments in the city that the city residents dedicated to their world-famous countryman.

Address and opening hours of the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia

A rare tourist visiting the southeastern coast of Crimea leaves without seeing the masterpieces of the great marine painter. To get to the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia, you need to go to Gallery Street (buildings 2 and 4).

Working hours:

• Tuesday - from 10:00 to 13:00;
• sMonday to Sunday (Wednesday - day off) - from 10:00 to 17:00.

In the summer, on the same days, the gallery is open from 9:00 to 20:00.

Now you know what the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia is. You also know the address of this most important attraction of the Crimea, therefore, once you are on the peninsula, be sure to visit the world-famous gallery. You will certainly get great pleasure from contemplating the masterpieces of world art stored there.