For A.A.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum the year 2012 is marked by the celebration of 120th anniversary of our famous countryman - artist and Professor Alexander Alexandrovich Osmerkin. A series of events is planned by the Museum on this occasion - themed exhibitions, art readings, lectures, excursions, creative meetings, various cultural and educational events that will take place during the year. The main celebrations will be held on December, 8, the birthday of the artist.
   The art project started with the opening of exhibition 'In the memory of the Master", which presents paintings of well-known Russian artists from the museum collection. Works of A.A.Osmerkin's students were donated by the Russian Culture Foundation in 1994. It is pleasant to mention that the tradition of receiving gifts on the occasion of significant events has its continuation. Recently, A.A.Osmerkin Art-Memoriam Museum was connected to the Internet network thanks to active support of Kirovograd Regional Council deputy Serhey Aleksandrovych Shatalov and financial aid of Kirovograd Regional Charity Fund "Development of Kirovograd Region". This, of course, greatly expands possibilities of the museum work in the modern cyberspace and increases successful realization of the planned cultural events dedicated to the artist's anniversary.
   A.Osmerkin dedicated thirty years of his life to artistic pedagogy. He had begun to teach in 1918 and later he became the head of individual painting studios at Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and Vasilij Surikov Moscow Art Institute.
   A.Osmerkin preferred small genres - portrait, landscape, still life. His fancy had passed to his students. Therefore, these genres dominate in the exposition. There are such significant names for Soviet Art as People's Artist of USSR O.O.Moiseenko, Honored Artist of Russia A.Y.Nikich, M.P.Konchalovskij, G.O.Savinov, Honored Artist of Armenia E.A.Aslamazjan and many others among presented artists.
   Professor of Art A.Osmerkin was always hold in respect and love among his students. So, it is not surprising that many of them turned to the teacher's image in their work - A.Y.Nikich "From the cycle "Favorite face" Portrait of A.A.Osmerkin. Opus V. Var. I" 1987-1992, R.M.Zelinskaya "Frost. In memory of A.A.Osmerkin" 1992.
   "We loved him; moreover, we idolized him… To my mind, A.A.Osmerkin possessed, as a pedagogue, the most important and valuable talent - to see artist in every student, he had an ability to recognize talent, its individual tint, its originality, he developed these students' abilities" - wrote artist O.O.Moiseenko in his memoirs.
   Every artist - A.A.Osmerkin's student, has his own unique creative character, each is an artistic individuality that brightly reflects the historical epoch and the development of fine arts. So, inhabitants and visitors of Kirovograd have a unique opportunity to see a rare collection of paintings of Russian artists, that covers a considerable period - from mid 1930's to early 1990's, to feel the atmosphere of the time and simply to enjoy wonderful works of Russian Painting School, to the creation of which a lot was contributed by our countryman - artist and pedagogue Alexander Osmerkin.