The Kasteev Museum of Art is the country’s largest art museum. It is located in the “southern capital” of Kazakhstan, Almaty. It was created in 1976 on the basis of the collections of Shevchenko Kazakh Art Gallery and the Museum of Applied Folk Art of Kazakhstan. The museum building is an example of Soviet public buildings in Almaty in the 70s.
In 1984, the museum was given the name of a Kazakh artist, Abilkhan Kasteev.
The museum exhibits the works of eminent European masters such as Rembrandt, Durer, Schongauer, Hals, Bourdon, Duguet, Daubigny, Corot. The collection of Russian art includes works of Aivazovsky, Tropinin, Rokotov, Repin, Levitsky, Kiprensky, Vereshchagin, Borovikovsky, Shishkin, Levitan, Savrasov and many other artists. The museum also keeps a large collection of fine and applied art of Kazakhstan (a collection of felt, carpets, leather and wood products).
Over the years, the museum has collected many works of art, exhibited for visitors in 11 main halls. Temporary exhibitions are held in the other three halls.
