Albina Legostayeva: "Azerbaijan monitors its art exhibited outside the country in order to preserve and popularize its culture"

This year marks 100th anniversary of founding of the State Museum of Oriental Art - Russia's only cultural center specializing in preservation, study and popularization of the art of from countries and peoples of the East. Head of exhibitions department of the State Museum of Oriental Art, Albina Legostayeva, discussed importance of preservation of heritage of Eastern peoples for development of Russian and world culture, as well as about relations with Azerbaijani museums in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

- The State Museum of Oriental Art signed an agreement with The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum this summer. What kind of cooperation exists between two museums?

- I really love the Carpet Museum. We have close ties. Azerbaijan monitors its art exhibited outside the country in order to preserve and popularize its culture. We're currently preparing a joint project. I really hope that it will be implemented in April of 2019. The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum will bring Azerbaijani carpets from its collection, as well as jewelry items and costumes. We want to presented Azerbaijani culture here. Collection of the Carpet Museum will allow us to prepare a full-fledged exhibition.

- In your opinion, how well does format of the Carpet Museum works?

- Absolutely. Even architecture of the museum is unusual. It's very beautiful, immediately attracts attention. It's a great marketing move, it helps to attract more visitors. You can't just walk past this building. I like its architecture, its collection, and people who work there.

- Do you plan to carry out any joint projects?

- Our employees regularly visit Baku to participate in conferences, prepare reports, we exchange scientific advices. Sometimes we meet, talk about latest news. During these meetings you often get more information than when your work with sources. After all, specialists can tell you everything about the country they live in. We have very close ties.

- The inventory book of your museum lists carpet made in Lankaran as the first item. How many Azerbaijani exhibits are there in your museum?

- We have great textile collection, excellent carpets. Last year, during one of the exhibition, we showed carpets stored in our fund, which impressed even our colleagues from the Carpet Museum. These carpets were created by craftsmen for the annual all-Union achievements exhibition. They tell stories that are hard to find now. Ornaments play an important role in textiles, but we see them not just as ornaments, but as plot compositions. We see Soviet women, working people, Red Square, realities of that time, which is very interesting. Those are unique pieces of art.

We have great art collection. Something can be seen at our permanent exhibition, something at temporary exhibitions. Artists who hold exhibitions here have been our museum's friends for many years. One of them is Farhad Khalilov, who gave us another painting last year. We have an opportunity to collect many works of the same master to show them at thematic exhibitions. It's very interesting.