“The Brush That Brought History to Life”: Opening of the Exhibition of Works by Ashur Haydarov at the National Museum of Tajikistan
On 17 July 2026, the National Museum of Tajikistan of the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan inaugurated the exhibition “The Brush That Brought History to Life,” featuring the works of Ashur Haydarov, People’s Artist of Tajikistan. The exhibition has been organized to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Tajikistan and the 110th anniversary of the artist’s birth.
The opening ceremony was inaugurated by Ibrohimzoda Zafarsho Safo, Director of the National Museum of Tajikistan, who welcomed the participants and guests and emphasized that the principal objective of the exhibition is to honor the memory of one of the foremost representatives of Tajik national fine arts, promote his artistic legacy, and present the classical school of Tajik painting to a broad audience.
Among the distinguished participants in the ceremony were Sabzali Sharipov, People’s Artist of Tajikistan; Professor Larisa Nazarovna Dodkhudoeva, Doctor of Historical Sciences and art historian; Nargis Hamidova, Chairperson of the Union of Artists of Tajikistan; and Bakhtiyor Odinazoda, Vice-Rector of the Tajik State Institute of Fine Arts and Design. In their addresses, they highlighted the outstanding artistic value of Ashur Haydarov’s oeuvre and his significant contribution to the formation and development of the classical school of Tajik painting.
The exhibition features more than 33 paintings from the Golden Collection of the National Museum of Tajikistan. Distinguished by exceptional artistic craftsmanship, refined colour harmony, profound psychological characterization of the subjects, and vivid depictions of the natural landscapes of Tajikistan, these works represent some of the finest achievements of the artist. Among the most prominent historical and thematic paintings on display are Rudaki Among His Fellow Countrymen, Mushfiqi in Bukhara, Avicenna Meeting the Scholars of Hamadan, Registan of Samarkand, Portrait of a Bride, Release from the Emir’s Dungeon, The Removal of the Paranja, The Fall of the Emirate, and The Offensive.
In addition, visitors are presented with more than 40 graphic works by Ashur Haydarov from the artist’s family collection, generously provided by his daughter, Mavluda Haydarova.
Ashur Haydarov (1916–1998) was born on 14 July 1916 in Samarkand. He graduated from the Samarkand Art College in 1938. During the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945), he served on the front lines. From 1955, he worked in Dushanbe for the editorial office of the satirical magazine Khorpushtak. Beginning in 1956, he was an artist of the Art Fund of Tajikistan and participated in the Decade of Tajik Literature and Art held in Moscow. In 1958, he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of fine arts, he was awarded the honorary title Honoured Artist of Tajikistan in 1990 and the title People’s Artist of Tajikistan in 1991.
Ashur Haydarov’s artistic heritage has gained broad international recognition. Today, his works are preserved in museum collections in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, as well as in the national collections of the Republic of Tajikistan, where they constitute an invaluable part of the country’s cultural heritage.
The exhibition “The Brush That Brought History to Life”, dedicated to the works of People’s Artist of Tajikistan Ashur Haydarov, will remain open to visitors until 4 August 2026. The National Museum of Tajikistan warmly invites all admirers of art to discover these outstanding masterpieces of classical Tajik painting.
This translation follows an academic and museum-oriented style appropriate for international museum publications, exhibition catalogues, institutional websites, and UNESCO-standard cultural heritage communications.
