Mission and Goals

About the National Gallery
The National Gallery, which was established in 1948, is the largest art museum in Bulgaria, with over 41,000 paintings, sculptures, graphics, decorative and contemporary artworks. It has the richest collection of Christian art from the Bulgarian lands (4th–19th centuries), boasts some of the highest achievements of the Bulgarian masters from the National Revival to the present day, along with exemplars of European art (15th–20th centuries), and unique artworks from Asia, Africa, and America.
The Gallery combines Kvadrat 500 ( St Alexander Nevsky Sq., 1, 19th February St.) with a permanent exposition on display; The Palace (1, Knyaz Alexander I Sq.) with its halls for temporary exhibitions; the Museum of Christian Art in the crypt of St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral; Museum of the Art from the Socialist Period (7, Lachezar Stanchev St.); Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art (2, Cherni Vrah Blvd.); and the House Museums of Vera Nedkova, Nikola Tanev, Ivan Lazarov and Andrey Nikolov.

Mission Statement
In accordance with contemporary trends and practices, the National Gallery defines its mission as a museum open to the public, which preserves, studies and enriches the national collection of Bulgarian and foreign art for present and future generations.

Our strategic goals are:

• Presentation of the collection in accordance with the highest museum and scientific standards and the stimulation of knowledge relevant to it;
• Development of the museum as a modern artistic centre—a forum of different cultural perspectives, contacts and influences that connects Bulgaria with the world.