The Kurlyna estate is rightly considered the best example of Art Nouveau architecture in Samara, reflecting the entire talent and experience of architect Alexander Zelenko. Built in 1903, the Kurlyna mansion became a unique example of Russian Art Nouveau, comparable to the Ryabushinsky mansion in Moscow. In 2012, the Museum of Modern Art opened here.

The main exhibition of the museum is located on the first floor of the mansion, where interiors in the Art Nouveau style have been recreated. The word "modern" translates from French as "contemporary." At the end of the 19th century, this style gained popularity in cities such as Paris, Munich, Vienna, Brussels, and Moscow. In Samara, Art Nouveau became one of the most sought-after architectural styles among homeowners. Exquisite mansions, trading houses, banks, and hotels with graceful lines filled the urban landscape. It is no surprise that exactly in Samara, a hundred years later, the only Museum of Modern Art in Russia appeared.

The mansion that now houses the museum was built in 1903 according to the design of Moscow architect Alexander Zelenko for Alexander Kurlyna and his wife. Alexander Georgievich Kurlyna was a merchant of the 1st guild, a member of the city Duma, and a guardian of the blind society and children's shelters. In 1893, he married Alexandra Zhuravleva. On July 2, 1899, Kurlyna purchased a plot of land at the intersection of Alexeyevskaya and Saratovskaya streets for three and a half thousand rubles, where the construction of the mansion was completed in 1903.

The facade, interiors, and communications of the house were executed according to the latest European fashion. The mansion was immediately equipped with electric lighting, hot water heating, plumbing, sewage, and telephone.

In 1908, Alexander Kurlyna was declared incapacitated due to mental illness, and all his affairs were taken over by his wife, known in Samara as Sandra Kurlyna. In 1914, after Kurlyna's death, she became the full owner of the house. In 1918, Alexandra Kurlyna left Samara due to revolutionary events and died in Moscow in 1973.