National Art Gallery Sofia, Sofia

National Art Gallery Sofia, Sofia

The National Art Gallery in Sofia houses the most important collection of art in Bulgaria, with more than 50,000 works of painting, sculpture, and graphics that reflect the history and culture of the country.

The National Art Gallery in Sofia houses the most important collection of art in Bulgaria, with more than 50,000 works of painting, sculpture, and graphics that reflect the history and culture of the country. It is housed in a former royal palace that stands at an altitude of 556 metres, built in Second Empire style in 1880-'82, with a newer Viennese Neo-Baroque wing from 1894-'96.

The National Art Gallery houses the largest collection of medieval paintings in Bulgaria, including more than 4000 icons. It also showcases works from the Bulgarian National Revival in the 18-19th centuries. The second floor of the palace has about 150 works presenting the history of Bulgarian painting from the Renaissance to the 1960s, while the third floor has the permanent sculpture exhibition. See masterpieces by some of Bulgaria’s greatest artists such as Vladimir Dimitrov, Sirak Skitnik, and Nikola Raynov, and understand the artistic history of the country.