The Nikolsk Museum of Glass and Crystal was founded in 1789 as an “exemplary” room for the glass blowers of the Bakhmetevsky factory.
Since 2006, Nikolsk hosts International Art Glass Symposiums. Decorative glass compositions created for these occasions are housed by the museum. In this way the exhibition of contemporary art glass on the ground floor gets regularly updated.
Doctor of Arts, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Professor of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Lyudmila Kozakova said about the Museum of Glass and Crystal, “This is a world class museum. It goes beyond the limits of a provincial museum due to both its incomparable collection and its constantly improving exhibitions. It can be definitely called the national Museum of Glass. Your museum is your achievement, your national treasure, this is your brand.”
During and after the Great Patriotic war, the management closed the museum to the public, and since 1964, the museum again became open to the public. By the year of the 225th anniversary of the factory and the 200th anniversary of the collection, the museum moved into a new two-story building, which welcomed the first visitors in 1990.
The permanent exhibition includes about a third of the museum’s collection (more than 14,700 items). All works of factory glassmakers of the 18th and 19th centuries are on display, and there are selected exhibits dating to later periods, European glassware, and items that have been donated to the museum. The works of distinguished glassmakers and artists included those of V. Mukhina, A. Yakobson, E. Yanovskaya, V. Ezhov, A. Fokin and others.
The permanent exhibition includes about a third of the museum’s collection (more than 14,700 items). All works of factory glassmakers of the 18th and 19th centuries are on display, and there are selected exhibits dating to later periods, European glassware, and items that have been donated to the museum. The works of distinguished glassmakers and artists included those of V. Mukhina, A. Yakobson, E. Yanovskaya, V. Ezhov, A. Fokin and others.
Art glass is displayed on the two floors following the chronological order: from the early pre-revolutionary works whose authors are unknown to the items created by artists in the 1930s and later.
Since 2006, Nikolsk hosts International Art Glass Symposiums. Decorative glass compositions created for these occasions are housed by the museum. In this way the exhibition of contemporary art glass on the ground floor gets regularly updated.
Doctor of Arts, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Professor of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Lyudmila Kozakova said about the Museum of Glass and Crystal, “This is a world class museum. It goes beyond the limits of a provincial museum due to both its incomparable collection and its constantly improving exhibitions. It can be definitely called the national Museum of Glass. Your museum is your achievement, your national treasure, this is your brand.”
