The Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky Art Gallery is one of the oldest art museums in the country. The gallery was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
The building of the gallery is a monument of architecture of the XIX century. Its construction is tentatively dated to 1845-1848. By architectural and decorative design the house was built in the spirit of Italian Renaissance villas. In 1880 a large exhibition hall was added to the main volume of the building. The construction of the house was carried out according to the project and under the supervision of I. K. Aivazovsky.
The official opening of the picture gallery in 1880 was timed to the artist’s birthday. The collection of paintings during Aivazovsky’s lifetime was constantly updated, as his works were sent to exhibitions in major Russian cities and abroad. After the death of I.K. Aivazovsky, the art gallery under the will of the artist becomes the property of the city where he was born and created most of his life. As a gift to Feodosia were transferred 49 paintings by the brush of the famous Russian marine painter. For many years the exposition of the museum was not replenished.
The Great October Socialist Revolution made art the property of the workers. In 1921 the I.K. Aivazovsky Gallery was included in the network of state museums. The planned work on the scientific acquisition of funds began.
During the Great Patriotic War all the art collection, documentation and archive of the gallery were saved by the director P. S. Barsamov, who was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
At present Feodosia Picture Gallery is a treasury of Russian and Soviet realistic art, a true hearth of culture. Here are the largest collections of works by I. K. Aivazovsky, K. F. Bogayevsky, M. P. Latry, M. A. Voloshin and other masters of Russian art, works by Soviet marine artists, works by old masters of Western European art. At present the museum has about 8 thousand museum items of the main fund.
The main treasure of the museum is the collection of pictorial and graphic works by I.K. Aivazovsky, which counts 416 works.
It represents all periods of the artist’s work. The best paintings include «The Gulf of Naples on a Moonlit Night» (1842), «The Sea» (1853), «Storm on the North Sea» (1865), «The Sea» (1864), «Sunny Day» (1884), «Surf on the Crimean Coast» (1892), «Among the Waves» (1898) and others.
The first halls of the exposition exhibit paintings by the great marine painter, while the subsequent halls display works by his pupils, contemporaries and Soviet masters of painting who continue the traditions of I.K. Aivazovsky.
The workers of the museum carry out a great research and publishing work. During the years of Soviet power about 80 titles of editions were published.
Picture Gallery named after I. K. Aivazovsky. I.K. Aivazovsky Picture Gallery has two departments: the works of I.K. Aivazovsky and excursion-mass.
Of great interest are stationary exhibitions from the stock collections of the gallery, traveling exhibitions of works by Soviet marine artists for residents of rural areas of the Crimean region.
The mobile museum of one picture is of special interest to the workers of the village. For lovers of beauty there are lectures, circles, hobby clubs, classical music evenings.