Navoi Theatre
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, Tashkent
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Photo: Oqsaqol, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Tickets
- Not on sale while the museum is closed
officiali
Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Hours
- Closed for reconstruction; no reopening date announced
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 30 min
- With kids
- Better without small kids
- Status
- Temporarily closed for reconstruction, no reopening date
officiali
Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Address
- 16 Amir Temur Avenue (older listings: 16 Movarounnahr Street)
- Getting there
- Walk about 1 km south from Amir Timur Square, ≈ 15 min
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time needed
- 10–15 minutes to see the building from outside
- Instead
- Museum of Applied Arts, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Romanov Palace from outside
Key facts
Closedfor reconstruction — a reopening date will follow the works
3 sourcesi
Agency for Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan via UzA, October 2026Afisha.uzAdvantour1918founded as the People’s University Museum
2 sourcesi
English and Russian WikipediaAdvantourUNESCOthe building is one of 10 Tashkent Modernism sites inscribed in July 2026
3 sourcesi
AdvantourEuronewsEnglish Wikipedia≈ 100 worksfrom Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich and other private collections formed the core
2 sourcesi
English and Russian WikipediaAdvantour1974the current building — an aluminium-clad, glazed cube
2 sourcesi
English and Russian WikipediaAfisha.uz3 architectsI. Abdulov, A. Nikiforov and S. Rosenblum
Sourcei
English and Russian Wikipedia1935renamed the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan
2 sourcesi
English and Russian WikipediaAdvantour100,000+items in store: painting, sculpture, applied art, archaeology
2 sourcesi
Russian WikipediaUzbekistan Art and Culture Development FoundationTadao Andothe Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect behind the reconstruction concept
2 sourcesi
Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development FoundationGoogle Arts & Culture20,000 m²planned floor area after reconstruction, 7,000 m² of it galleries
2 sourcesi
Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development FoundationGoogle Arts & Culture4 departmentsUzbek fine art, Uzbek applied art, Russian and Western art, Far Eastern art
Sourcei
English and Russian WikipediaIs the State Museum of Arts in Tashkent open?
No. The museum is closed to visitors while the building is reconstructed. The ticket desk is shut, there are no tours inside and the permanent collection is not on show anywhere in the building. Neither the Agency for Cultural Heritage nor the museum has given a reopening date; they say it will be announced after the repairs and a new display are finished.
When social media posts in October 2026 claimed nothing was happening on site, the agency replied through the state news agency UzA: design documents for repairs, restoration and new power and water systems are ready, and preparatory work is under way. For travellers the takeaway is simple — don’t count on it for your trip.
Opening hours you may still see on map apps are leftovers from earlier years, and even those listings disagree with each other. Ignore them for now.
What the museum is
This is Uzbekistan’s main art museum. It was founded in 1918 as the People’s University Museum around roughly a hundred works nationalised that April — paintings, drawings, sculpture, furniture and porcelain from Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I who lived in exile in Tashkent, and from other private owners.
Until 1935 the collection was shown in the Grand Duke’s own mansion, today’s Romanov Palace. It then moved to the People’s House, took its present name in 1935 and kept growing with transfers from Moscow and Leningrad museums and work by Uzbek artists.
Russian Wikipedia puts the holdings at more than 100,000 items by 2018, from painting and sculpture to folk art, coins and archaeology — only a small share was ever on display.
What’s in the collection
- Uzbek fine art — 20th-century painting, including Pavel Benkov and Zinaida Kovalevskaya.
- Uzbek applied art — suzani embroideries, carpets, ceramics, jewellery and carved wood.
- Russian art — Borovikovsky, Tropinin, Bryullov, Repin, Shishkin and Vereshchagin’s “Opium Eaters”.
- Western European art — Italian, French, German, Flemish, Dutch and English works, with names such as Canaletto and David Teniers the Younger.
- Far Eastern art — the museum’s fourth department.
- Archaeology — including terracotta sculpture from Khalchayan.
- Which galleries reopen first, and how the collection will be hung, has not been announced.
The 1974 building and its UNESCO listing
The present building went up in 1974 on the site of the demolished People’s House, designed by I. Abdulov, A. Nikiforov and S. Rosenblum. It is a plain cube clad in aluminium and marble, glazed on all four sides, and was last renovated in 1997.
Uzbekistan added it to its national heritage register in 2024. In July 2026, at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, it became one of ten components of the UNESCO site Tashkent Modernist Architecture — alongside Chorsu Bazaar and Kosmonavtlar metro station.
That is the reason to stop even while it is closed: it is one of the city’s signature modernist façades. Cross to the far side of the avenue to see the whole block in one frame.
The Tadao Ando reconstruction
The reconstruction concept is by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, winner of the Pritzker Prize. According to the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the museum will double to 20,000 m², with 7,000 m² of galleries, storage big enough for the entire collection, and a new 1.1-hectare park around the building.
Separately, the presidential press service said in July 2026 that a branch of the museum with a permanent display of about 300 objects will open in the restored Romanov Palace. No date was given — treat it as a plan, not something you can visit yet.
How to get to the State Museum of Arts
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Navoi Theatre is about 14 min away on foot.
- Tashkent Metro is about 15 min away on foot.
- Romanov Palace is about 24 min away on foot.
More tips
- Start at Amir Timur Square — take the metro to Amir Temur Xiyoboni station.
- Walk south along Amir Temur Avenue for about 1 km, roughly 15 minutes.
- The museum is at No. 16: a glass-and-stone cube with a granite canopy over the entrance.
- Cross to the other side of the avenue for the full view of the façade.
- Optional: walk about 20 minutes west to Kosmonavtlar metro station, another UNESCO-listed piece of Tashkent modernism.
Where to see art in Tashkent instead
For Uzbek crafts, head to the Museum of Applied Arts — a separate museum, often confused with this one. Suzani, ceramics and jewellery are its core.
For contemporary art, the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) opened in September 2026 in a converted power station. Unofficially, entry is free with advance registration and it is closed on Mondays — check before you go.
For the backstory, walk to the Romanov Palace, where the collection began. And if you have an hour left, ride the Tashkent Metro: its stations are galleries in their own right.
Before you go: checklist
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Tashkent history sights compared
Historic places in Tashkent rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.
| Tashkent Metro | 50 | 1 h | 2,500 som by card, 3,000 cash | 16 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanov Palace | 44 | 15 min | Free | 25 min walk |
| Navoi Theatre | 44 | 20 min | Shows from 77,000 som | 15 min walk |
| Hazrati Imam Complex | 43 | 45 min | Free | 5.0 km |
| Chorsu Bazaar | 39 | 1 h | Free | 4.5 km |
| State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistanyou are here | 36 | 1 h 30 min | Closed for reconstruction | — |
| Museum of Applied Arts | 36 | 1 h | ≈ UZS 30,000–40,000, unofficial | 27 min walk |
Central Tashkent on foot: modernism and mansions
The Navoi Theatre, Grand Duke Romanov’s mansion, the art museum façade and the Museum of Applied Arts. YesGo fits in the timing and walks.
- Navoi Theatre20 min · Shows from 77,000 som
- 10 min walk from the previous stopRomanov Palace15 min · Free, outside only
- 25 min walk from the previous stopState Museum of Arts of Uzbekistanyou are here1 h 30 min · Closed for reconstruction
- 27 min walk from the previous stopMuseum of Applied Arts1 h · ≈ UZS 30,000–40,000, unofficial
4 places · about 4 h 7 min with walks · 62 min on foot in total
Nearby — add to your day
Tashkent Metro
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Romanov Palace
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Museum of Applied Arts
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
How to do it right
- Don’t make a special trip — catch the façade between Amir Timur Square and the Romanov Palace.
- For suzani, ceramics and jewellery, go to the Museum of Applied Arts.
- Into modernism? Build your own UNESCO walk: this cube, Kosmonavtlar station and the dome of Chorsu Bazaar.
- Payment: carry Uzbek som in cash for markets and street taxis, or use a ride-hailing app; hotels and larger cafés usually take Visa and Mastercard.
- Look for reopening news from Uzbekistan’s Agency for Cultural Heritage — map listings lag behind.
Questions
Is the State Museum of Arts in Tashkent open?
No. It is temporarily closed for reconstruction, and the Agency for Cultural Heritage says a reopening date will be announced once the work is finished.
When will the State Museum of Arts reopen?
No date has been given. It depends on the repair and restoration works and the preparation of a new display.
How much are tickets to the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan?
No tickets are on sale while the museum is closed, and post-reopening prices have not been announced.
What are the State Museum of Arts opening hours?
There are none at the moment — the museum is closed. Hours shown on map apps are out of date.
Where is the State Museum of Arts in Tashkent?
At 16 Amir Temur Avenue in the city centre, about 1 km south of Amir Timur Square. Older listings give 16 Movarounnahr Street.
Who is redesigning the State Museum of Arts?
Japanese architect Tadao Ando produced the reconstruction concept. The museum is set to double in size to 20,000 m².
Is it worth visiting while it’s closed?
Only in passing. The 1974 building is part of UNESCO’s Tashkent Modernism listing, and 10–15 minutes outside is enough.
Where can I see art in Tashkent right now?
Try the Museum of Applied Arts for Uzbek crafts and the new Centre for Contemporary Arts, which opened in September 2026.
Is the State Museum of Arts the same as the Museum of Applied Arts?
No. They are two separate museums in different parts of central Tashkent.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- UzA (National News Agency of Uzbekistan): statement by the Agency for Cultural Heritage on the art museum reconstruction, 15.10.2026
- Afisha.uz: State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan — address and status
- Advantour: State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan; news on Tashkent Modernism joining the UNESCO list, 28.07.2026
- Euronews: Tashkent’s modernist architecture joins the UNESCO World Heritage List, 02.08.2026
- Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF): State Museum of Arts reconstruction programme
- WeProject: museum branch in the Romanov Palace, 18.07.2026
- Voyage.uz: guide to Tashkent’s new museums and cultural spaces, 2026
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan; Wikidata Q4146885
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