The State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan (Savitsky Museum)

So, I ended up in Nukus. Out of all places. I did read about Nukus in the guidebook but it certainly wasn’t included in my initial itinerary. The guide book recommended it for trips to the Aral Sea, but after doing some reading, I wasn’t kind to drive several hours into the desert to witness the historical screw-up and environmental disaster created by the Soviet Union. The other reason to visit is what is commonly known as the Savitsky Museum, named after Russian art collector Igor Savitsky. In a nutshell, he collected and saved thousands of paintings of Central Asian artists and Russian avant-garde artists from Soviet destruction due to their non-conformity.

After waking up in Nukus and seeing what a dreadful and depressing place it is, the last thing I expected was a world-class arts museum. But that is exactly what I found. If you are interested, below is some further reading material on the museum and its history:

• Documentary “The Desert of Forbidden Art”
• Article in the Guardian 

While the entrance ticket is moderately priced, I did fork out USD20 for a photography permit (probably the most I have spent on a museum ticket ever) so you my dear readers get to see some footage. Y’all better appreciate 🙂

Below are some impressions no particular order: