National Gallery of Armenia facts for kids

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National Gallery of Armenia
Հայաստանի ազգային պատկերասրահ
The National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan
Established	1921
Location	Yerevan, Armenia
Type	art gallery
Visitors	80,300 (2016)

The National Gallery of Armenia (also called NGA) is the biggest art museum in Armenia. You can find it right in the heart of Yerevan, the capital city, on Republic Square. This museum is home to amazing collections of art from Russia, Western Europe, and it has the largest collection of Armenian art anywhere in the world! It's a super popular place, with thousands of visitors each year.

Discover the History of the National Gallery
Explore the Art Collections
Directors of the Gallery
See also

Discover the History of the National Gallery

The National Gallery of Armenia (NGA) started in 1921. It was created by the government of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. At first, it was part of a larger State museum.

When the NGA began, it was hard to find enough art. There weren't many public or private art collections in Yerevan. So, the first artworks came from an exhibition of Armenian painters in August 1921.

A big help came from the famous collection of the Armenian Cultural Center in Moscow. Many Armenian artists also donated their works. By 1925, the museum had 400 pieces by Armenian, Russian, and European artists. These were shown in six special rooms.

By 1935, the art section became its own museum. It was called the State Art Museum. In 1947, its name changed to the State Picture Gallery of Armenia. Finally, in 1991, it became the National Gallery of Armenia. Today, the NGA has about 40,000 artworks. Many of these are always on display in its 56 galleries and halls.

Explore the Art Collections

The National Gallery of Armenia has a huge variety of art. It includes ancient pieces, medieval works, and modern art. The museum also has special studios for restoring and preserving artworks. There's a library, an archive, a small cafe, and a gift shop. The NGA also shares its art with other countries. This helps people worldwide see and enjoy Armenian art.

Armenian Art: A Rich History

Mikayel vardapet by Arshak Fetvadjian (1907)

Armenian art makes up a very large part of the collection. There are around 700 pieces! The journey through Armenian art starts with ancient and medieval works. You can see copies of Urartu frescoes and Garni Temple mosaics. There are also medieval wall paintings and tiny, detailed miniatures.

Some examples include a 7th-century fresco called "Christ Enthroned" from St. Stephanos Church. You can also see a 10th-century fresco fragment of "The Last Judgment" from St. Poghos-Petros. A 13th-century fresco showing the Nativity from St. Astvatsatskin is also on display.

The museum has many paintings linked to the Armenian Apostolic Church. These date from the 17th to the 19th centuries. You'll also find silver covers for old books, crosses, and beautiful 18th-century altar curtains from all over Asia.

The collection of historic Armenian art is the biggest in the world. It features strong collections from artists like Hakob Hovnatanyan, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Gevorg Bashinjaghian, Panos Terlemezian, Vardges Sureniants, Vartan Mahokian, Martiros Saryan, Hakob Kojoyan, Hakob Gyurjian, Edgar Chahine, Grigor Khanjyan, and Minas Avetisyan.

There's also a special focus on art by Armenians living outside Armenia. This includes works by Zakar Zakarian, Edgar Chahine, Hovsep Pushman, Jean Carzou, Jean Jansem, Gerardo Oragyan, and Paul Guiragossian. In 2008, a special area was opened just for the works of Hakob Gyurjian.

H. Hovnatanian, Assumption of the Virgin XVIII c.
H. Hovnatanyan, Portrait of Natali Teumian, 1830-1840
V. Sureniants, Desecrated Shrine, 1895
P. Terlemezian, Gavit of Sanahin Monastery, 1904
Y. Tadevosyan, The Genius and the Crowd, 1919

S. Nersisyan, Picnic on the bank of the Kura, 1860
M. Saryan, By the Well. Hot Day, 1908
V. Makhokhyan, Ocean, 1918—1920
Z. Zakarian, Still life. Art items, 1900
A. Fetvadjian, Ani Cathedral, 1905

Western Art: European Masterpieces

The Western art collection has about 170 pieces. It mainly focuses on Italian, Flemish, Dutch, and French art. But it also includes works from Spanish, German, and other artists. There are over 180 drawings and prints from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Italian Art: From Renaissance to Landscapes

"Apollo and Pan" by Tintoretto

The Italian collection begins with art from the 14th century. A special painting is "Christmas" by an unknown artist from the circle of Botticelli. "Apollo and Pan" by the famous Tintoretto is a great example of the High Renaissance style.

For portraits from the 17th century, you can see "Portrait of Nikola Kuchi" by Bernardo Strozzi. There are also two portraits by Guercino, who was part of the Bolognese School. Paintings by Pontormo show earlier portrait styles.

The museum has many artworks about the Bible. These include "The birth of Jesus and Adoration of the Shepherds" by Jacopo Bassano. Other artists like Leandro Bassano, Luca Giordano, Pietro da Cortona, and Sebastiano Ricci also have works here. You can also see beautiful portraits of the Virgin Mary by Benvenuto Tisi and Elisabetta Sirani.

Landscape paintings from the 18th century are shown through works by Francesco Guardi and Francesco Zuccarelli. The collection also includes drawings by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo and Giovanni Paolo Panini.

P. Cortona, St. Mary, little Jesus and st. Katharina
B. Strozzi, Portrait of Nikola Kuchi
J. Bassano, The birth of Jesus and adoration of the shepherds
Guercino, Cleopatra
F. Guardi, Yard

S. Conca, Godmother
B. Tisi, Madonna and Child
L. Giordano, The good shepherd
L. Signorelli, Children's massacre

Flemish and Dutch Art: Golden Age and Landscapes

"Descent from the Cross" A. van Dyck

The gallery has about 30 Flemish and 60 Dutch artworks, mostly from the 17th century.

Flemish art includes "Procession of Silenus" by Peter Paul Rubens and "Descent from the Cross" by Anthony van Dyck. You can also see amazing still-life paintings by Verbruggen and Jan Fyt. "Mountain landscape" by Joos de Momper is another highlight. Portraits by Pieter Pourbus are also featured. Two works by David Teniers the Younger show everyday life.

The Dutch collection features famous artists from the Dutch Golden Age painting. Look for "Singing lesson" by Caspar Netscher and "Company at the Table" by Pieter Codde. "Holiday" by Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot and paintings of taverns are also here. "War and Peace" by Hendrick Goltzius is a notable piece. "Birth of Christ" by Joos van Cleve tells a Bible story.

Landscape artists like Jan van Goyen ("View of Dordrecht") and Allaert van Everdingen are displayed. You can also see sea landscapes by Ludolf Bakhuizen. The "Italianate landscape" style, popular in Holland, is shown through works by Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem and Karel Dujardin. Still-life artists like Pieter Claesz and Abraham van Beijeren are also part of the collection.

Dutch portraits include "The Money-changer" by Matthias Stom and a woman's portrait by Caspar Netscher. The collection also has military art, like "Poles in the battle against the Swedes" by Philips Wouwerman. You can also find drawings by Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Lievens.

J. de Momper, Mountain landscape
D. Teniers, Playing skittles
J. van Goyen, Dordrecht

Unknown painter, Portrait of woman
C. Netscher, Singing lesson
E. van de Velde, Battle
M. Stom, Exchange
J. van Cleve, The birth of Christ

French Art: From Rococo to Realism

The French painting collection is the largest among the Western art sections. It starts with works from the 17th century. You can see "Rinaldo and Armida" by Jean-Honoré Fragonard and "Head of a Young Woman" by Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

The gallery recently received "Young woman with a flower" by François Boucher, a famous rococo artist. Other rococo works include "The Italian actors" by Nicolas Lancret. Portraits by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun show the styles of sentimentalism and classicism.

French landscape art began in the 17th century with works like Gaspard Dughet's. The 18th century landscapes are shown through three pieces by Hubert Robert and three by Claude-Joseph Vernet.

The gallery also has works from the Barbizon school. These artists greatly influenced realistic art in 19th-century France. Look for Théodore Rousseau's "Dusk in a forest" and two paintings by Narcisse Virgilio Díaz. A seascape by Félix Ziem is also displayed.

The gallery exhibits "Portrait of a girl" by Gustave Courbet, a leader of realism. Other French artists from this period include Horace Vernet and Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps. Later French art is briefly shown through works by Eugène Boudin, Louis Anquetin, and Adolphe Monticelli. The collection also includes drawings by Jean-Antoine Watteau and sculptures by Antonio Canova.

G. Courbet, Portrait of a girl
N. Lancret, The Italian actors
E. Delacroix, The guest

T. Rousseau, Dusk in a forest
N. V. Díaz, Landscape
E. Boudin, Sea port
J. Vernet, Sea view
H. Robert, Ancient temple

Spanish, German, and Other European Artists

The Spanish art section includes "The Descent from the Cross" by Luis de Morales, a key artist of Spanish mannerism. You can also see an etching called "Bulls" by Francisco Goya, a master of the romantic period. "The Moment of Lecture" by Marià Fortuny is also here. The gallery recently received four drawings by Salvador Dalí.

German art is shown through landscape painters like Jacob Philipp Hackert. The collection also has nine drawings by the famous German painter Albrecht Dürer. Other artists from Switzerland, Poland, and Romania are also represented.

Russian Art: From Portraits to Avant-Garde

Russian art is also a big part of the NGA's collection, with about 230 artworks. Russian secular art starts from the mid-18th century. The gallery has portraits and sculptures from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These include works by Ivan Argunov, Dmytro Levytsky, Fyodor Rokotov, Vladimir Borovikovsky, and Ivan Martos.

Russian landscape art from the 18th century is shown through paintings by Fyodor Matveyev. Russian painting from the first half of the 19th century includes works by Orest Kiprensky and Vasily Tropinin.

The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is shown through works by Alexandre Benois and artists of the symbolism movement. The collection also features Russian avant-garde art. You can see masterpieces like "Summer residence" by Marc Chagall and two works by Wassily Kandinsky.

There are also many works by famous Russian artists like Ivan Shishkin, Isaac Levitan, Vasily Surikov, Ilya Repin, Valentin Serov, and Arkhip Kuindzhi. The museum has the most complete collection of paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky, with about 60 pieces!