Azerbaijan National Museum of Art

The Azerbaijani holdings trace a distinctive arc. Miniature painting connects the collection to the wider Persian tradition, in which Azerbaijani artists — particularly the Tabriz school — were central rather than peripheral.

The early twentieth century is the strongest section. Artists working through the transition from the pre-Soviet period into Socialist Realism produced work that negotiates between imposed style and local subject, and the results are more interesting than that description suggests.

Later twentieth-century and contemporary Azerbaijani painting rounds out the sequence, and the decorative arts holdings — metalwork, ceramics, textiles — are substantial in their own right.

The second building covers Western European painting across several centuries alongside a solid Russian collection. It is not a rival to the major European institutions and does not pretend to be, but there are individual works worth the time and the galleries are rarely crowded.

The Russian section is the stronger of the two, reflecting the collecting patterns of the imperial and Soviet periods.

Both mansions are oil-boom constructions from the late nineteenth century and are listed in their own right. High ceilings, original staircases and period detailing make them unusually pleasant gallery spaces — the art is hung in rooms that were designed to impress visitors, and they still do.

The location on Niyazi Street puts the museum a short walk below the funicular and Highland Park, which makes it easy to attach to the viewpoint section of a Baku city tour.