Azerbaijani art ( az, Azərbaycan təsviri sənəti) is the art created by Azerbaijanis. They have created rich and distinctive art, a major part of which is

applied art The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Unive ...

items. This form of art rooted in antiquity, is represented by a wide range of handicrafts, such as chasing (metalworking), jewellery-making, engraving, carving wood, stone and bone, carpet-making, lacing, pattern weaving and printing, and knitting and embroidery. Each of these

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

is evidence of the culture and the abilities of the Azerbaijan nation, and are very popular there. Many interesting facts pertaining to the development of arts and crafts in Azerbaijan were reported by merchants, travellers and diplomats who visited these places at different times.

Prehistoric art

Images reflecting magic,

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...

ic notions of ancient people, their religious customs and hunting scenes carved on rocks in Gobustan is evidence of primitive art created in the Paleolithic epoch. Carvings of men and women, fishing scenes, images of people dancing on the rocks, galloping horses, hunters, a lonely figure of a reaper with a sickle, round dances like the ''

yalli Halay is the national dance of Turkey and a regional category of folk dance styles in central, southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of the country. It is mainly performed by Turks, Arabs, and Kurds in Turkey. Halay and similar dances are ...

'' (folk dance), boats with rowers, solar signs and various wild animals have been portrayed and found there.

Gamigaya Petroglyphs Gamigaya rock carvings ( az, Gəmiqaya petroqlifləri) - are dated to the 4th-1st millennia BC including the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in the territory of Ordubad Rayon, not far from Nəsirvaz village's border and Azerbaijan’s border with Arme ...

in the

Ordubad District Ordubad District ( az, Ordubad rayonu) is one of the 7 districts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The district borders the district of Julfa, as well as the Syunik Province of Armenia, and the East Azerbaijan Province of Ira ...

region date back from the fourth to the first centuries BC. About 1,500 dislodged and carved rock paintings with images of deer, goats, bulls, dogs, snakes, birds, fantastic beings, people, carriages and various symbols have been discovered carved on

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

rocks.

Middle Ages

Caucasian albanian stone azerbaijan mingechaur2

The development of old and the appearance of new cities favoured the development of caravan trade and the expansion of handicraft production. Many cities are famed for rug weaving, and the production of artistic ceramic jars, gold and silver items. A stone cap from the 5th–6th centuries discovered in the Sudagilan settlement of Mingachevir District is one of the most famous findings of that time. A cup discovered in the village of Bartim village, dating from the second to fourth centuries is kept in the Moscow Museum of History. Momine Fragment

The seizure of Caucasian Albania by Arabs in the seventh century was of great importance to the further development of the visual arts. Muslim,

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

cultures began to spread in the territory of modern Azerbaijan. The construction of mosques, mausoleums, castles and other cultic architectural monuments followed decorated with various patterns and ornaments, calligraphic elements (on epitaphs), tile and

bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

Islamic restrictions on the portrayal of living beings stimulated the development of ornamental forms of decorative arts. Ornaments on the

Momine Khatun Mausoleum Momine Khatun Mausoleum (or Mu'mine Khatun) is a 12th century mausoleum located in the city of Nakchivan in Azerbaijan. The mausoleums of Nakhchivan were nominated for the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1998 by Gulnara Mehmandarova, the ...

in Nakhchivan, constructed in the epoch of the Seljuq and Khanegah on the shore of the

Pirsaat River The Pirsaat ( az, Pirsaatçay) is a river in Azerbaijan which flows through Ismailli, Shamakhi and Salyan Rayons. It discharges into the Caspian Sea near the village Xıdırlı. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . Small states appeared in the territory of Azerbaijan after the weakening of

Arab Caliphate A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

. Local art schools were opened in cities such as Barda, Shamakhi,

Beylagan Beylagan District ( az, Beyləqan rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Fuzuli, Aghjabadi, Zardab, Imis ...

, Ganja, Nakhchivan and

Shabran Shabran District ( az, Şabran rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-east of the country and belongs to the Guba-Khachmaz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khachmaz, Quba, Khizi and ...

. Architectural schools in Nakchivan,

Shirvan Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...

- Absheron and

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

are the most important among them. Monuments and buildings of the "Nakhchivan school" are distinguished by their ceramic details, which were one-colour initially, but then became multi-coloured. Ornamental motifs generally consisted of baked brick and tile. Smooth stone walls were rarely used in architectural elements belong to the "Shirvan-Absheron" architectural school. Patterns of stone carving art, geometric and plant ornaments have an important place in buildings belonging to this school of architecture. The artistic value of " divankhana" (rotunda-pavilion) from the

Palace of the Shirvanshahs The Palace of the Shirvanshahs ( az, Şirvanşahlar Sarayı, fa, کاخ شروان‌شاهان) is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". It is located in the ...

ensemble "is determined by the perfection of the composition, tectonics of architectural forms, the virtuosity of painting and creation of ornaments" according to L.Bretatsinki and B.Weymarn. Stones with inscriptions and images of people and animals (tiger, camel, horse, bull and bird) have been found in the Shirvanshahs' architectural monument called Sabayil Castle constructed in the 13th century in

Baku Bay Bay of Baku (Baku Bay) is a natural harbor of the Baku port and local yacht club, on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula and on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Description It has an area of 50 km² and a coastline of 20&nbs ...

. A deep carving style was a characteristics of friezes. This monument has a pattern of sculptural art where inscriptions and salient images was a decisive factor in the decorative design of buildings. Cultural traditions of ancient Caucasian Albania are preserved in the stone reliefs. The

Bayil Bayil ( az, Bayıl; also known as Bailov and Bailovo) is a settlement in Baku, Azerbaijan. Geography In March 2000, a major landslide in the Bayil slope destroyed dozens of shops, apartments and gas stations. The slope in later years also experi ...

stones, which had the characteristics of friezes, included decorative elements on grand architectural monuments at that time. Ceramic items discovered during archaeological excavations in Shabran and Baylagan provide evidence of the high-level development of visual arts in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

15th century

Azerbaijani rugs

Azerbaijani rugs are a product of Azerbaijan, an ancient centre of carpet weaving. Azerbaijan has also been known since ancient times as a centre of a large variety of other crafts. Archaeological digs in the territory testify to well-developed agriculture, livestock raising, metalworking, pottery and ceramics, and carpet-weaving that date as far back as to the 2nd millennium BC. The development of carpet weaving grew after Ismail I's takeover of the Safavid dynasty. Azerbaijani carpets can be categorized into several large groups and a multitude of subgroups. Scientific research on the Azerbaijani carpet is connected to

Latif Karimov Latif Huseyn oglu Karimov ( az, Lətif Hüseyn oğlu Kərimov; 17 November 1906 in Shusha – 8 September 1991 in Baku) was an Azerbaijani carpet designer known for his contributions to a variety of artistic fields, as well as for a number of boo ...

, a prominent scientist and artist. He classified carpets into four large groups in four geographical zones of Azerbaijan, i.e. Guba-Shirvan, Ganja-Kazakh, Karabakh and Tabriz. The

Karabakh carpet The Karabakh carpet (, ) or Karabagh carpet, is one of the varieties of carpets of Transcaucasia, made in the bi-national Karabakh region. History Carpet-weaving was historically a traditional profession for the female population of Karabakh, inc ...

is one of five ( major regional groups of carpets made in Azerbaijan named after the

Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and ...

region, which comprises present-day

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

and the adjacent lowland territories (lowland Karabakh). The Karabakh carpets amount to 33 compositions. Due to the specifics of the local sheep wool, the Karabakh carpets are characterized by the thick, tall fluffy pile. These carpets are known for their vivid and joyous colours. They are divided into four groups: without medallions, with medallions, namazlyk (prayer rug), and subject carpet. In the mountainous part of Karabakh, the carpets were made in Malybeili, Muradkhanly, Dashbulakh, Jebrail, Goradis, and many other villages. Image:Kazak rug from Azerbaijan 9956.jpg, "Ulduzlu" carpet, Kazakh school, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum Image:Gövhər xalçası, Qarabağ xalçaçılıq məktəbi.jpg, "Gövhər" carpet,

school,

National Art Museum of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan National Museum of Art ( az, Azərbaycan Milli İncəsənət Muzeyi) is the biggest art museum of Azerbaijan. It was founded in 1936 in Baku and in 1943 was named after Rustam Mustafayev, a prominent Azerbaijani scenic designer and the ...

File:Azerbaijani carpet "Shamakhi" in V&A.jpg, "Shamakhi" carpet, Shirvan school,

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Image:Ganja rug.jpg, "Ganja" carpet, Ganja school, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum File:«Хила-афшан».jpg, "Khila-Afshan" carpet, Baku school, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum File:Azerbaijanian carpet from Pirabadil.jpg, "Prabadil" carpet, Quba school, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

17th to 18th century

19th to early 20th centuries

Decorative art

From the 19th century to early 20th century several artists of the decorative arts who had no formal artistic education became famous. One,

Mir Mohsun Navvab Mir-Mohsun Navvab ( az, Mir Möhsün Nəvvab) (1833, in Shusha – 1918, in Shusha) occupies a prominent place in the history of Azerbaijani culture as the last representative of the old traditional school of science, arts and literature. Navvab ...

who also known as a poet, music theorist and calligrapherwas among the most famous artists of that time. His creations are important in art sphere. Ornamental wall paintings, images of flowers and birds, illustrations to his own manuscripts (''Bahr-ul Khazan'' (The sea of sorrow), 1864) are typical of his creativity. Usta Gambar Garabaghi represents the national traditions of wall-painting (1830s–1905). He is famed for his works in the restoration of the Palace of Shaki Khans, paintings in the interiors of houses in Mehmandarov and Rustamov in

Shusha / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govha ...

and other cities. Paintings made by him did not break up the flatness of walls but emphasized their architectural details. His new works were distinguished for the growth of realistic features. Landscapes, images of flowers and patterns of decorative-applied art made by poet

Khurshidbanu Natavan Khurshidbanu Natavan ( az, خورشیدبانو ناتوان / Xurşidbanu Natəvan; 6 August 1832 – 2 October 1897) was an Azerbaijani poet and philanthropist. She is considered one of the best lyrical poets of Azerbaijan. Her poems are in eit ...

should also be noted. She also decorated her poems with lyric art motifs. Artists such as Avazali Mughanli ('' Kalila and Dimna'', 1809), Mirza Aligulu (''

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50 ...

'' 1850), Najafgulu Shamakhili (''

Yusuf and Zulaikha "Yusuf and Zulaikha" (the English transliteration of both names varies greatly) refers to a medieval Islamic version of the story of the prophet Yusuf and Potiphar's wife which has been for centuries in the Muslim world, and is found in many langu ...

'', 1887) and others were among the famous Azerbaijani miniature painters of that time.

Easel painting

The new progressive visual arts of Azerbaijan faced a delay in development in the 19th century. The development of realistic easel painting was extremely slow. The origins of easel painting in Azerbaijani visual arts began in this period, but works of the period such as portraits painted in Irevan "were still firmly connected to traditions of the eastern miniature of middle ages". A painter

Mirza Gadim Iravani Mirza Kadym Irevani ( az, Mirzə Qədim İrəvani, میرزا قدیم ایروانی) was an Azerbaijani ornamentalist artist and portraitist, who mostly created "typical Persian miniatures and lacquers", founder of Azerbaijani panel painting, wh ...

, who also had no professional artistic education, is famous mainly as a portrait artist. ''Dancer'', ''

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

'', ''Strongman'' and ''Cavalryman'' are his most popular works. His works are housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. A portrait of a young man, a portrait of a sitting woman, and others are among these works. Iravani, whose works were firmly connected to traditions of the eastern miniature of medieval ages, laid down the foundations of the realistic easel painting in Azerbaijan. Paintings in Sardar's Palace in Irevan and also portraits of

Fath Ali Shah Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...

Abbas Mirza Abbas Mirza ( fa, عباس میرزا; August 26, 1789October 25, 1833) was a Qajar crown prince of Iran. He developed a reputation as a military commander during the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 and the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, as ...

, Mah Talat khanim and Vajullah Mirza are among the famous works of Mirza Gadim Iravani. Besides these portraits he also painted a portrait of the ''Unknown Warrior''. The palace was demolished in 1914 and four great portraits on the walls of the palace and also paintings on the walls of houses in Shusha were also destroyed. ''

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

's Portrait'' by Mir Mohsun Navvab painted with watercolours in 1902 and now housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan in Baku is also famous. The genre of satiric graphics appeared with the publication of ''

Molla Nasraddin Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (other variants include: Mullah Nasreddin Hooja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin) (1208-1285) is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from Arabia to Central Asia ...

'' magazine at the beginning of the 20th century and the development of book publishing. Artists of the magazine such as O.Schemrling, I.Rotter, A.Azimzade and K.Musayev actively worked in this sphere of arts.

Azim Azimzade Azim Aslan oghlu Azimzade ( az, Əzim Aslan oğlu Əzimzadə; 7 May 1880 – 15 June 1943) was an Azerbaijani artist and caricaturist. He was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. Biography Azim Azimzade ...

is a founder of satiric graphics of Azerbaijan. His sharp caricatures and grotesques scoffing at social inequality, ignorance, fanaticism and oppression by

Tsarism Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states th ...

are also famous. His series of watercolour paintings called ''Hundred Types'', dedicated to freedom of women, atheism and political motifs, and also the illustrations of Mirza Alakbar Sabir's ''Hophopname'' collection of works are famous.

Bahruz Kangarli Bahruz Shirali bey oglu Kangarli ( az, Bəhruz Şirəlibəy oğlu Kəngərli; 22 January 1892, Nakhchivan – 7 February 1922, Nakhchivan) was an Azerbaijani painter and graphic artist. He was one of the first professional representatives of Azerb ...

is the first Azerbaijani artist who got a professional education was one of the founders of the realistic easel arts of Azerbaijan He created landscapes such as ''Ilanly Mountain Under the Moonlight'', ''Before the Dawn'' and ''Spring''. He also created portraits of unfortunate people in his ''Refugees'' series and everyday life compositions ''Matchmaking'' and ''Wedding''. His album ''Memory of Nakhchivan'' consisting of twenty landscapes is housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. Kangarli drew outlines of costumes for ''Deadmen'' ( J.Mammadguluzadeh), ''Haji Gara'' ( M.F.Akhundov), ''Peri Jaud'' ( A.Hagverdiyev) and other plays staged in Nakhchivan, in 1910. Image:Həyat ağacı, Qarabağ.jpg, ''Tree of life'', painting on glass.

Image:Unknown Azerbaijani painter - Portrait of Darvish Nurali Shah.jpg, Unknown Azerbaijani artist - ''Portrait of Darvish Nurali Shah'' Image:Dağ mənzərəsi – Bəhruz Kəngərli.jpg, Landscape with mountains.

. The early 20th century. Image:Portrait of Sheikhulislam by Huseinzade.jpg, ''Portrait of Shaikh ul Islam''.

Ali bey Huseynzade Ali bey Huseyn oğlu Huseynzade ( az, Əli bəy Hüseyn oğlu Hüseynzadə; tr, Hüseyinzade Ali Turan; Salyan, February 24, 1864 – Istanbul, March 17, 1940) was an Azerbaijani writer, thinker, philosopher, artist, doctor, and the creator of ...

. The early 20th century. Image:Portrait of Azerbaijani poet Fuzuli by Azimzade.jpg, ''Portrait of Fuzuli''.

, 1914.

20th century

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

The Independence Museum of Azerbaijan, where the national symbols of Azerbaijan (the national coat of arms and national flag) were created, was founded in Baku in 1919, after the establishment of

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...

. Meetings dedicated to the conservation of historical monuments were held in the museum. At that time the magazine '' Füyuzat'' was published by

, the eminent philosopher, journalist and artist of that time and a pioneer of the art of

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

in Azerbaijan. Huseynzade's most famous works are ''

Bibi-Heybat Mosque The Bibi-Heybat Mosque ( az, Bibiheybət məscidi) is a historical mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan. The existing structure, built in the 1990s, is a recreation of the mosque with the same name built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II Ibn ...

'' and the ''Portrait of the Sheikh ul-Islam''.

Soviet Azerbaijan

New type of arts were developing in Azerbaijan after the establishment of the

Soviet regime The political system of the Soviet Union took place in a federal single-party soviet socialist republic framework which was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the only party permitted by the Co ...

in Azerbaijan in 1920. The first art school where new genres of visual arts were created, was opened in 1920, in Baku. Picture of Azimzade

In the 1930s, artists such as Azim Azimzade, Farhad Khalilov, H.Khaligov, I.Akhundov, A.Hajiyev, M.A.Vlasov, K.Kazimzade, A.Mammadov and others worked in the graphic design sphere. Illustrations for books by Azerbaijani and foreign writers were drawn. Placards relating to the themes of that time were also created. In 1928, the first art exhibition of the Azerbaijani Union of Young Artists was held. In the 1930s, the exhibition of the Azerbaijani Union of Revolutionary Visual Arts achieved great success. In 1932, the Committee of Azerbaijani Artists was created. During that period, works such as ''Grape harvesting'' by S.Sharifzade, ''Azim Azimzade's portrait'' by H.Hagverdiyev and ''Portrait of Nizami Ganjavi'' by Gazanfar Khaligov, were famous. Works by Mikayil Abdullayev, B.Mirzazade, B.Aliyeva,

Sattar Bahlulzade Sattar Bahlulzade ( az, Səttar Bəhlulzadə; 15 December 1909 – 14 October 1974) was an Azerbaijani painter, best known for his landscape paintings depicting the nature of Azerbaijan. He is considered to be the founder of Azerbaijani Impressioni ...

and K.Khanlarova should also be mentioned. The first Congress of Azerbaijani artists was held in 1940. Generally, political placards and satiric caricatures were drawn during World War II. Well-known artists as H.Khaligov, I.Akhundov, A.Hajiyev and S.Sharifzade were creators of this type of art. The mature stage in Azerbaijani visual arts began in the mid-1950s. Mikayil Abdullayev,

Tahir Salahov Tahir Salahov ( Azerbaijani, in full: , russian: Таир Теймур Салахов; 29 November 1928 – 21 May 2021) was a Soviet, Azerbaijani painter and draughtsman. He was First Secretary of the Artists' Union of the USSR (1973–1992), ...

, Vidadi Narimanbekov,

, Togrul Narimanbekov, Geysar Kashiyeva and others were famous artists of the Soviet Azerbaijan, in the second half of the 20th century. Tahir Salahov is credited for pioneering a version of "severe realism" more truthful to the grim realities of workers' lives than the bright certainties of

Socialist Realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is c ...

. B.Aliyev, I.Feyzullayev, A.Mammadov, A.Verdiyev, and others portrayed subjects of labour and industry in their works. But the works of

Elbey Rzaguliyev Elbey Mirza-Hasan oglu Rzaguliyev ( az, Elbəy Rzaquliyev; 17 June 1926 – 15 September 2007) was an Azerbaijani Soviet artist and stage director, and father of artist Ayten Rzaguliyeva. Titles In 1964, Elbey Rzaguliyev was awarded the title ...

, T.Sadighzade, Arif Huseynov, K.Najafzade, and others are dedicated to the historic past, the traditions and customs of Azerbaijani people, to war and peace. J.Mirjavadova, N.Rahmanova, K.Ahmadova, G.Yunusova, S.Veysova, A.Ibrahimova, I.Mammadova, S.Mirzazade, F.Hashimova, F.Gulamova, A.Samadova and others painted mythological images. Maral Rahmanzade was the first Azerbaijani woman artist with professional artistic education to achieve great success in the sphere of easel painting and book illustration.

21st century

Independent Azerbaijan

The beginning of the 21st century can be considered as a period of stabilization and revitalization, noted by Teymur Daimi in 2001 for the catalogue of international exhibition published in English and French in Strasbourg in 2002. The Maiden Tower International Art Festival has been organized since 2010 with the aim to promote globally the Maiden Tower in Old City of Baku, included on

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2000, and considered the symbol of Baku. In 2012, Azerbaijan staged the 2012 Baku Public Art Festival, the country's first modern art festival. As of the 2000s,

fine-art photography Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stand ...

has become popular in Azerbaijan, with names such as Rena Effendi hosting exhibitions in London and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In 2010, the art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in Azerbaijan was added to the

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

. Taking into account its socio-economic importance, Azerbaijani folk applied art, particularly carpet weaving, has been the subject of special attention by the government to preserve, study, promote and develop the carpet weaving traditions of Azerbaijani people. In this regard, the Law "On the protection and development of carpet art of Azerbaijan" was adopted in December 2004. Carpet Weaver Day began to be celebrated on May 5 according to a Presidential Decree, the new building for the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz in the shape of a rolled carpet was constructed between 2007 and 2014. In addition, the state program on the "Protection and development of carpet art in the Republic of Azerbaijan 2018-2022" was approved in February 2018 by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ilham Aliyev.

Azerbaijani and Western Art museums of Azerbaijan

National Museum of History of Azerbaijan The National Museum of History of Azerbaijan ( az, Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi) is the largest museum in Azerbaijan. It is located in Baku, in the former residential house of Azerbaijani oil magnate and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghi ...

* Azerbaijan Carpet Museum * Heydar liyev Center *

's House Museum * Bahruz Kangarli's House Museum * Baku Museum of Miniature Books * Baku Museum of Modern Art *

Gobustan National Park Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve ( az, Qobustan dövlət tarixi-bədii qoruğu) is located west of the settlement of Gobustan, about southwest of the centre of Baku. It was established in 1966, when the area was declared a national ...

* Nakhchivan Open-air Museum *

's House Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azerbaijani Art Arts in Azerbaijan Azerbaijani culture Art by country