The Private Art Museum Comes to Kazakhstan

A private museum promoting Kazakh and Central Asian modern and contemporary art will open in Almaty, Kazakhstan in the summer of 2025.

The Almaty Museum of Arts will present works by artists from the region and around the world in a 9,400-square-metre building designed by British architects Chapman Taylor.

The museum is founded by Nurlan Smagulov, President of Astana Group, which includes Astana Motors, the MEGA network of shopping and entertainment centres, and automotive sales platform MyCar. Forbes Kazakhstan estimates his net worth at U.S. $980 million.

‘Art has the power to transform lives, and it once transformed mine,’ Smagulov said. ‘For me, the Almaty Museum of Arts is not just a museum; it serves as a bridge that connects Central Asia’s vibrant and diverse art with the global cultural scene. Our mission is to create an inspiring space where both the people of Kazakhstan and international visitors can experience contemporary art that resonates with universal human experiences, while also showcasing the distinctive cultural voices of our region.’

The museum will house artworks from Smagulov’s collection by Kazakh and Central Asian artists as well as a monumental ceramic mural by Fernand Léger, a walkthrough sculpture by Richard Serra, a multi-channel audiovisual installation by Bill Viola, and specially commissioned outdoor sculptures by Alicja Kwade and Yinka Shonibare.

The museum will be led by Artistic Director Meruyert Kaliyeva, who founded Aspan Gallery in Almaty in 2015, and Chief Curator Inga Lāce, whose previous projects include the Latvian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.

Kaliyeva said, ‘We are here to celebrate the voices, visions, and histories of artists from Kazakhstan and beyond, providing a vibrant platform for further study and appreciation of contemporary art in the region.’

‘Our aim is to inspire curiosity, dialogue, and a deeper understanding of the artistic heritage and contemporary expressions that shape and reflect Central Asia’s cultural landscape,’ she said. The museum will open with two exhibitions: a solo show by Kazakh artist Almagul Menlibayeva titled I Understand Everything and Qonaqtar, a group exhibition that draws from the museum’s collection. —[O]

Main image: Visual render of the Almaty Museum of Arts, including Yinka Shonibare CBE's Wind Sculpture (TG) II (2022), by Chapman Taylor. Courtesy Almaty Museum of Arts.