Odessa Art Museum represents two of Odessa’s most interesting sights at once, because one of the best museums is located in one of the most beautiful and mysterious houses of the city — The Potockikh-Naryshkinyh Palace.
The museum was inaugurated on November 24, 1899, and its founder was the famous Odessa philanthropist Grigory Marazli. Before the opening of the first public art gallery, as it was said at the end of the XIX century, the famous architect A.I. Bernardazzi restored the building.
For more than a century of its existence, the museum, with the assistance of the Odessa Society of Fine Arts, has collected a significant and diverse collection of sculpture, graphics and paintings, which is recognized in Ukraine as one of the best.
The exposition of the museum covers graphics, painting, sculpture, decorative and applied art — the most different types of fine arts, it consists of more than 10 thousand original works. Works of Ukrainian and Russian icon painters from the XVI century to the present day are also presented here.
In 26 halls of two floors of the museum the exposition is presented in historical and chronological order according to the monographic principle of showing the works of each author.
The exposition opens with early secular portraits of the XVII century, works of masters of icon painting from the XVI to the XVIII century, as well as paintings of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Here are the works of famous masters — F. Rokotov, D. Levitsky, V. Borovikovsky, O. Kiprensky, V. Tropinin (portrait of N. Obolenskaya) and others.
The exposition continues with academic paintings, canvases by the outstanding marine painter I. Aivazovsky, paintings by A. Venetsianov, 0. Kiprensky.
The museum presents a large collection of works by artists who were members of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, including A. Kuindzhi, A. Savrasov, V. Surikov, I. Kramskoy, I. Levitan, I. Repin, I. Shishkin.
The art of the late XIX — early XX centuries is represented by the works of V.Serov, M.Vrubel, N.Roerich, B.Kustodiev, A.Benois, K.Somov, V.Kandinsky.
There is also a department of contemporary art, where you can plunge into the artistic life of the city from the 20s of the last century to the present day, viewing the works of the best artists of Odessa and Ukraine.
As you know, it is better to see once than to hear several times. And this is exactly the case. And the doors of the Art Museum are always open for guests, as well as most of the sights of Odessa.