Bukhara State Museum of Fine Art — Attraction in Bukhara City

Slightly boring regional museum, but worth a look for the cheap 20 000 som entry fee. There are two floors and another gallery out through a courtyard. The latter has some truly boring or even bad contemporary pieces, but the galleries in the main building have some decent works. On the ground floor, look out for the works of Boboyev, who is expressionistic, and Samoyov, more post-impressionistic - although both were mainly working in the 80s. The earlier work is upstairs, featuring good paintings by Benkov and Kourzin (1920s-50s): think some surprisingly strong, in Benkov’s case vivid portraits of fine Bukharan and Samarkandian characters, as well as some sentimental but pretty impressionistic paintings of the city in various dappled lights. The miniatures of Pochchayev, the court painter of the Emirs who continued to work until his death in 1948, is worth a glance insofar as he was the last miniaturist in the courtly tradition - most interesting in his miniature depictions of more modern scenes (eg cotton picking). Of course there are some quite fun USSR propaganda pieces of fertile Soviet cotton fields - ironic in that they were bleeding the Aral Sea dry - and happy ethnic groups.

Much more interesting pieces can be found in the tiny photography gallery (free entry) in the madrasah opposite - this...

If you want a break from carpets, ceramics and crowds, or if you are interested in local painting, give this a try. The collection is in two parts. One is mainly mid 20th century, with scenes of traditional life etc and a few socialist realist works. The other features impressive contemporary painters, with most of the work being figurative. It would be great to have a little of the context explained, but maybe...

The museum may be small, but it offers an interesting glimpse into 20th-century Uzbek art. The collection showcases works by local painters, giving visitors insight into the country's artistic evolution. While the museum itself feels a bit old-fashioned, it still provides a worthwhile experience for art enthusiasts. If you're in Bukhara and appreciate fine art, it's definitely...