Italian curators redesign third floor of Uzbekistan's Nukus Museum

The State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in Nukus, Uzbekistan, has completed a permanent reinstallation of its third floor, curated by Silvia Burini and Giuseppe Barbieri of Ca' Foscari University. The project, titled "The World of Igor Savitsky," follows the earlier exhibition "Avant-Garde in the Desert" held at Palazzo Pitti in Florence and Ca' Foscari in Venice, which was adapted for Nukus last winter with works from the State Museum of Arts of Tashkent. The new third-floor layout adheres to the museographic principles of Igor Savitsky, the museum's founder and a key figure in Uzbekistan's cultural heritage. Architect Massimiliano Bigarello designed the exhibition space, which features a layered display of paintings, drawings, archaeological artifacts, and applied arts (ceramics, textiles, woodwork, filigree, and zargar jewelry). The arrangement reflects Savitsky's experimental approach, with works sometimes stacked in two or three rows. The narrative intertwines three levels: Russian avant-garde, Orientalism, and Karakalpak culture. Archaeological finds reference the region's Byzantine and Central Asian roots, while jewelry is organized by body part (head, neck, nose, ear, chest, shoulder, armpit, wrist, waist, foot) to reveal ethnic, social, and marital status. The second floor focuses on Savitsky's biography, his art, and his role as a collector. The project aims to preserve and communicate a world that risked disappearing.