Almaty Museum of Arts

September saw the opening - to much fanfare - of Almaty Museum of Arts, Kazakhstan’s first private museum dedicated to Central Asian and contemporary art. Owned and funded by prominent Kazakh businessman Nurlan Smagulov, the museum is dedicated to both the preservation and promotion of Central Asian art, and international contemporary art.

Smagulov began collecting art in the early 1990s, his mission not only to keep Kazakh art within the country but also to bring back some of what had left. 700 works from Smagulov’s own collection form the basis of the museum’s permanent collection.

It’s not only the museum’s concept and artworks that are impressive. The building itself, which sits at the foot of the Tien Shan mountains, was designed by British architects Chapman Taylor, and has the same monumental quality as Bilbao’s Guggenheim.  

Marley was in Almaty the week before it opened, so only saw it from the outside. We can’t wait to visit when we return to Kazakhstan in 2026.

To visit the Almaty Museum of Arts as part of a tailor-made trip to Kazakhstan or the wider region, contact us here.