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The Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan fosters international cooperation and promotes the culture of Uzbekistan on the international arena. The Foundation spreads the national heritage through developing and supporting initiatives in the areas of fine arts and architecture, literature, theatre, music, and dance. Our mission is to create an inclusive and accessible environment in the country's cultural institutions, contribute to renovation of museums, and to develop cultural patronage and professional training for the arts and culture sector. The Foundation has also initiated a number of large-scale architectural projects in Uzbekistan: the reconstruction of the State Museum of Arts, the establishment of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent, the reconstruction of the State Children's Library, as well as the reconstruction of the residence of the Grand Duke Romanov.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 700,000 people with disabilities are registered in Uzbekistan. Of these, 111,000 are children and teenagers under the age of 18. Since 2019, the Foundation has been developing a long-term program of inclusiveness in the cultural institutions of the country, which involves the reconstruction of cultural sites, redevelopment of urban infrastructure, and improving educational programs for employees of cultural institutions in the country.
One of the main long–term programs of the Foundation is the renovation of museums in Uzbekistan. Renovation has already begun in four institutions within the country: the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, the State Museum of Applied Art of Uzbekistan, the Memorial-House of Aybek, and the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named under I.V. Savitsky. In January 2020, these institutions received an internal electronic cataloguing system, which allows museums to optimize the work of employees and put internal archives in order.
The Foundation is the initiator and author of legislation that creates a legal basis for patronage and non-governmental financial support of culture. These are the laws "on patronage", "on the target capital of non-profit organizations", as well as the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "On approval of the model regulations on the boards of Trustees of cultural and art institutions".
Venice hosts the main international exhibition dedicated to topical issues in contemporary art and architecture. It is there that a platform through which more than 70 countries share their culture and knowledge with each other is erected. In 2021, for the first time in the history of the exhibition, the national pavilion of Uzbekistan was presented. In 2022, the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan opened at the 59th Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, presenting the exhibition Dixit Algorizmi - The Garden of Knowledge ("As Al-Khwarizmi said - the Garden of Knowledge"). The Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the commissioner of the pavilion.
The Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan presents a new exhibition project “Archaeological Treasures of Uzbekistan. From Alexander the Great to the Kushan Empire."
The exhibition is dedicated to archaeological finds and covers the period from the reign of Alexander the Great in the second half of the 4th century BC till the end of Kushan rule in the 4th century AD. It is going to be held in two spaces — the James Simon Gallery and the New Museum in Berlin.
The exhibition is open from May 4, 2023 to January 14, 2024.
One of the main monuments of modernism in Tashkent was created by a group of young architects in 1974. For several decades, the displays and infrastructure of the museum were not updated, and the experimental materials that were used to decorate the facade of the building were not as durable as were originally planned. This year, the SMA reconstruction project will be presented. The author of the reconstruction is a Japanese architect: the winner of the Pritzker prize- Tadao Ando.
The total area of the museum will double to 20,000 square meters, including 7,000 square meters of exhibition space. This will allow us to rethink the museum's exposition possibilities and expand the museum's storage, where the entire archival objects of the institution will be stored – numbering more than 100,000 exhibits. A public space will be created around the building – a new modern park in the center of the city with an area of 1.1 hectares.
The residence of the Grand Duke Nikolai Romanov was built in 1881 by the architects Wilhelm Heintzelman and Alexey Benois. From 1918 to 1935, the State Museum of Art was located in this building. Until recently, the palace was inaccessible to the public. In 2020, the Foundation announced plans to renovate the building and create a branch of the State Museum of Art.
The main aim of the exhibition in the building of the Duke's residence is to recreate the atmosphere of that time. The interior will be as close as possible to the decoration of the palace under Nikolai Konstantinovich. For this purpose, the overseers of the project will use preserved archival photos. The exhibition will include SMA exhibits: classical paintings, Italian sculpture and porcelain, furniture, as well as the original copy of the Duke's will, which itemizes each object in his collection that he gave to the city of Tashkent.
The building which will soon become the Center of Contemporary Art was built in 1912. Before the October Revolution, there was a diesel power plant that generated power for the first tram line in the city. This is where the electrification of the city of Tashkent began. Here, the renewal of the artistic environment of modern Uzbekistan will also start.
The building was built in 1909 by the architect Markevich. It was originally the home of a cotton mill owner, Vadyaev, and since 1910 it has been used as a public meeting venue. In the 1930s, the cinematic theater "30 Years of the Komsomol" was opened here. Only the left side of the building, where the library is located, has been preserved. It holds one of the largest collections of children's books in Central Asia – more than 200,000 items. In 2020, a project for the reconstruction of the building will be presented, which will be handled by the Ludi Architects Bureau (Russia).