The philanthropist and collector Pavel Mikhailovich Dogadin donated his collection of over 100 graphic works and paintings, as well as his collection of autographs, library, furniture and a small mansion, where the gallery was originally located. “I brought my entire collection of paintings, drawings and autographs as a gift to the Astrakhan Provincial Council of Trade Unions, and by doing so, I laid the foundation for an art gallery in Astrakhan. Thus, my dream finally came true. I was appointed head and curator of the gallery located in my house, ” wrote Dogadin in February 1919 to the Petrograd artist Vladimir Frolov.
The Astrakhan State Art Gallery opened to the public on December 15, 1918. In 1921, the museum moved to the estate of the merchant Ivan Nikolayevich Plotnikov.
Today, the Astrakhan Art Gallery houses over 22,000 works of art, including paintings, graphics, sculptures and examples of decorative and applied art.
