Art Doll exhibition has been launched at Heydar Aliyev Center.

Vice president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva viewed the exhibition.

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov said the center had hosted numerous events in 2016, including conferences, symposiums, workshops, concerts and exhibitions.

He said works featured at Art Doll exhibition were collected for 10 years. Anar Alakbarov said the exhibition featured works by 60 artists and sculptors from 16 countries, including Azerbaijan. He thanked Azerbaijani first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and vice president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva for their role in organizing the exhibition.

Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts Aleksandra Khudyakova hailed excellent organization of the event. “I thank the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and its vice president Leyla Aliyeva for organizing such an amazing event. This is for the first time that I see such a fantastic exhibition.”

Member of Azerbaijan Union of Artists Elmira Abbasli said the exhibition reflected rich culture and history of Azerbaijan.

Rector of Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts Omar Eldarov described the exhibition as a truly interesting and unique event.

Participants of the ceremony then viewed the exhibition.

The 230 dolls displayed at the Art Doll Exhibition hosted by the Heydar Aliyev Center are just a part of a rich private collection boasting of more than 400 unique artifacts. The exhibits include handworks by renowned Azerbaijani doll-makers along with pieces by artists from the US, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Russia, Northern Cyprus, Indonesia, Ukraine, and Japan.

Awarded at a number of international festivals and biannual exhibitions, these artworks compose a very specific collection the Heydar Aliyev Center ever hosted so far. Most pieces are one-off and are therefore of a tremendous artistic value.