Born in Feodosia, Ivan Aivazovsky loved his town very much. He believed that the best conditions for art he would create on his native soil.
Since 1846, he lived and worked in a house built from his own design inspired by Italian renaissance villas. In 1880, Aivazovsky had an exhibition hall added to the main building and opened the first public picture gallery in province.
The gallery became Russia’s third public museum after the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. Today, the exposition is housed in two buildings, I.K. Aivazovsky’s Mansion and the mansion of his sister. The first one displays Crimean landscapes, battle paintings, and works inspired by the artist’s numerous voyages. The second building houses the works of Aivazovsky’s pupils and followers. Overall, the gallery holds 416 works by Aivazovsky.
