National Museum of Fine Arts

The National Museum of Fine Arts of Moldova (Romanian: Muzeul Național de Artă al Moldovei) is the sole national art museum in the Republic of Moldova, located in the capital city of Chișinău. Founded on November 26, 1939, by sculptor Alexandru Plămădeală and painter Auguste Baillayre, it represents the country's principal institution for the preservation and display of fine art. The museum holds particular historical significance as the first museum of Bessarabian fine art, established during a period of intense cultural development in the region. Its collection, now numbering more than 39,000 works, documents the evolution of art from the nineteenth century to the present, with particular strengths in Bessarabian, Romanian, Russian, and European art.

The museum originated from sculptor Alexandru Plămădeală's initiative in 1939 to establish Chișinău's first Picture Gallery. Plămădeală selected approximately 160 works by Bessarabian and Romanian artists for this purpose, and appointed Auguste Baillayre, a painter and professor at the École de Beaux-Arts of Chișinău, as director. The institution opened as the Pinacotheque on November 26, 1939, marking the birth of Bessarabia's first fine art museum. Disaster struck in the first days of World War II, when the displayed works, together with additional pieces donated by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Cults, were loaded onto two lorries and transported to Kharkiv; their fate remains unknown. The museum resumed activity near the end of 1944 through transfers from Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery and the Hermitage, which enabled the inauguration of new permanent exhibitions. The collection grew substantially through later donations, including an important graphic arts collection from Pavel Schillingovsky, professor at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, in 1947; a bequest of 342 works from co-founder Auguste Baillayre in 1962; and significant paintings added in 1975, including works by Orest Kiprenski and Vladimir Makovski.

The museum's holdings encompass more than 39,000 works that trace the development of fine arts from the nineteenth century onward. The collection's geographic and chronological range is extensive, incorporating ancient icons, works by Bessarabian and Romanian artists, Russian art, Western European pieces, and works from Japan, India, and China. A major strength lies in nineteenth-century European and Russian graphic arts, significantly enhanced by Schillingovsky's 1947 donation of master prints. The print collection includes works by Albrecht Dür prints by William Hogarth, Käthe Kollwitz, Piotr Utkin, Vasili Perov, and Filipp Maliavin. The museum maintains both general and specific exhibitions, and has hosted solo exhibitions for significant Moldovan artists including Ada Zevin in 1960, 1970, and 1980. In summer 2021, the museum presented an exhibition of 42 works by Dorin Coltofeanu.

Among the museum's signature works are Orest Kiprenski's "Fille aux fruits" and Vladimir Makovski's "À la taverne," both added to the collection in 1975. The graphic arts collection is particularly distinguished, featuring prints by major European and Russian masters of the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. The museum also holds works by Claudia Cobizev, a notable figure in Moldovan art. The 1962 bequest from Auguste Baillayre significantly strengthened the collection with 342 works by national and international artists, reflecting his dual role as co-founder and later benefactor.

The museum occupies two principal buildings in Chișinău. Its main building, designed by architect Alexander Bernardazzi, is a recognized monument in Moldova and was formerly the Dadiani girls' gymnasium, founded by Princess N. Dadiani. This historic structure provides the primary exhibition spaces for the permanent collection. A second department operates from the Herța House, an urban villa situated between Ștefan cel Mare and Sfînt Avenues, which accommodates additional exhibition and administrative functions.

The National Museum of Fine Arts is located in central Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, and operates under national ownership as the country's sole institution of its kind. The museum maintains an official website at www.mnam.md, which provides information in English and other languages. Visitors can access the main building at the former Dadiani gymnasium and the secondary location at the Herța House. As Moldova's national art museum, it serves as the primary venue for the display, study, and preservation of the nation's artistic heritage, hosting permanent collections and temporary exhibitions that document the region's cultural history from the nineteenth century to contemporary practice.