Gayane Umerova is Chairperson of the Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Cabinet Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Chairperson of Uzbekistan National Commission for UNESCO.

Gayane holds a BA in Business Administration from Westminster University and an MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Manchester University. Gayane started her professional career as a senior curator at the Art Gallery of Uzbekistan in 2008. In 2013 and 2014 she served as an advisor for a series of exhibitions “At the Crossroads: Contemporary Art from the Caucasus and Central Asia” at Sotheby’s London. In 2011 Gayane served as curator of the 6th Tashkent International Biennial of Contemporary Art (Uzbekistan), having coordinated educational programs for the 5th Tashkent Biennial in 2009 (Uzbekistan). In 2015 she curated the exhibition “Henry Moore: The Printmaker” at the State Art Museum of Uzbekistan.

And in 2016 Gayane coordinated the “New Past” exhibition at the Art Gallery of Uzbekistan, which featured 19 artists including “Young British Artists” (Damien Hirst, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Gavin Turk and Sarah Lucas). She is the initiator of large-scale architectural projects in Uzbekistan: the reconstruction of the State Museum of Arts by Tadao Ando, the establishment of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent, the reconstruction of the State Children's Library, as well as the reconstruction of the residence of the Grand Duke Romanov.

Gayane Umerova is a commissioner National pavilion of Uzbekistan at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition 20221 and 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Also, under her leadership, in 2022, the first exhibition on the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan will be organized at the Louvre Museum and in 2023 exhibition of archaeological artifacts will take place at the James Simon Gallery in Berlin.

The Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan fosters international cooperation and promotes the culture of Uzbekistan on the international arena. The Foundation spreads the national heritage through developing and supporting initiatives in the areas of fine arts and architecture, literature, theater, music, and dance. Our mission is to create an inclusive and accessible environment in the country's cultural institutions, contribute to renovation of museums, and to develop cultural patronage and professional training for the arts and culture sector.