State Museum of Oriental Art

The impressive collection of Oriental art is housed in the State Museum of Oriental Art. The Museum is located in the very center of Moscow. The pale yellow Corinthian-pillared building it occupies is the architectural monument of the early Russian classicism. The building was erected in 1821 by Italian architect D. Zhilyardi as a private mansion of Lunin family. Almost a century after the expropriated house of Lunin welcomed the expositions of the Museum of Oriental Art that was established in 1918. The Museum funds were formed on the basis of the expropriated private collections of Russian celebrated collectors and scientists including Brokar, Ostroukhov, Faberge, Kastalsky, Konchalovsky, Mosolov, Shchukin and others. Nowadays the Museum treasures the truly impressive collection of painting, drawing, sculpture, decorative and applied art, as well as architectural finds made during scientific expedition to North Caucasus, Middle Asia, Chukot Peninsula and other regions of Russia. The art of Asia and Caucasus is represented quite comprehensively from the 1st century AD through to the beginning of the 20th century. Among the most interesting Museum's exhibits there are splendid Persian carpets, Iranian ceramics, Indian jewelry, Japanese prints, miniature sculptures (netsuke) and many more. The Museum houses several permanent exhibitions «The Art of Korea», «The Art of China», «The Art of Japan», «The Art of South-East Asia» (Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand) and others. Among the Museum's most popular are expositions dedicated to the art of Caucasus and Transcaucasia (Georgia, Armenia, Armenia), Kazakhstan and Middle Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan). Several museum halls boast the paintings of Nikolai and Svyatoslav Roerich. Outstanding artists, philosophers and scientists of the 20th century, they made a number of expeditions to Central Asia and masterfully depicted its plains and mountains.