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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan National Art Museum has hosted public presentation of Danish-German artist Olaf Viggo Langner's work "Shirvanshahs' Palace. Minaret" (1911), alongside a lecture by PhD in Art Studies, Associate Professor Sevil Karimova titled "Baku in the Creative Legacy of Viggo Langner," AzerNEWS reports.

The artwork was acquired in 2024 by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry from the Danish auction house "Bruun Rasmussen." It has been presented as part of the exhibition "Chronicle of the City of Winds: Baku in the Works of 19th–21st Century Artists," currently on display at the National Art Museum.

The event featured speeches by Deputy Culture Minister, Saadat Yusifova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, PhD in Art Studies Shirin Malikova, and art historian, PhD Telman Ibrahimov.

Speakers stressed the importance of depictions of Baku in the works of foreign artists as a valuable resource for studying the country’s historical and cultural heritage.

It was noted that the repatriation of Olaf Viggo Langner's work to Azerbaijan, along with its scholarly study and reattribution, plays a significant role in preserving national cultural heritage and enriching museum collections and Azerbaijani art history with new research directions.

In her presentation, Sevil Karimova reviewed the tradition of depicting Baku in the works of foreign artists beginning in the second half of the 19th century. She shared the results of her research based on various international sources concerning Olaf Viggo Langner's life and artistic practice, drawing attention to his 1911 visit to Baku, his interest in the city's architectural monuments, and the significance of this journey in his creative development.

Particular attention was given during the presentation to the scholarly investigation of the work's reattribution and the precise identification of the depicted location, which drew considerable interest from participants.

The event concluded with a guided viewing of the exhibition "Chronicle of the City of Winds: Baku in the Works of 19th–21st Century Artists."

The Azerbaijan National Art Museum regularly hosts a wide range of cultural and scholarly events.

These events often bring together art historians, researchers, and curators to explore various aspects of national and international art history. They also provide a platform for presenting newly acquired artworks, discussing attribution studies, and highlighting the results of academic research.

Founded in 1937, the museum also offers art connoisseurs some of the finest examples of Western European decorative and applied arts. Its permanent exhibition features over 3,000 items displayed across 60 rooms, while approximately 12,000 additional works are preserved in its storage collections. Visitors can explore masterpieces by Italian, French, German, and Polish artists, among others.

Over the years, the museum has also successfully organized and hosted numerous high-level international exhibitions, presenting works by world-renowned artists. These initiatives have not only attracted art enthusiasts but have also played an important role in fostering cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and other countries.