National Gallery of Arts

About National Gallery of Arts

By the ULTIMATE Tirana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The National Gallery of Arts, on the main boulevard since 29 November 1974, holds the country’s main collection of Albanian art: some 4,600 works, from icons to 20th-century painting, including a large collection of socialist-realist works that tell their own story. The building has been under renovation in recent years, with exhibitions sometimes in temporary spaces; check what is open before you go. Its official website is galeriakombetare.gov.al.

The nation’s collection

The National Gallery of Arts grew out of the work of a group of Albanian artists and the Arts Committee of 1946. After several moves, it opened in its present building on the main boulevard on 29 November 1974. It is the only national institution that exhibits, conserves, studies and restores the country’s art, and it holds more than 4,600 works.

What it holds

The collection runs from medieval icons and the work of 19th-century painters to the modern Albanian art of the early 20th century. Its best-known section is the large collection of socialist-realist painting and sculpture from the communist decades: heroic workers, partisans and leaders, an art form that is now studied for what it reveals about the regime. Some of the statues have been moved to the garden behind the building.

Four and a half thousand works, from icons to socialist realism, tell Albania’s story in paint.

Renovation

The building has been under renovation in recent years, and exhibitions have sometimes moved to temporary spaces, so check what is on before you go.

Our advice: check the gallery’s programme, then combine a visit with a walk along the boulevard to the Pyramid and the castle walls on Murat Toptani Street.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with National Gallery of Arts before you go.