National Gallery of Arts
The National Gallery of Arts, which exhibits the best works of Albanian painters, has a huge collection of paintings in a variety of genres from various times. Some of these pieces precisely depict art under government influence, conveying the story of Albania via innovation.
During Communism, the National Gallery of Arts was the single organization in charge of overseeing and selecting suitable creative works, comparable to the French Salon of the 18th century. Great names in Albanian art have been imprisoned as a result of their improper works, like Maks Velo, Edi Hila, and Edison Gjergo, to mention a few. Fortunately, these masterpieces are now on display at The National Gallery of Arts.
After being relocated in 1974, the gallery now stands as a cultural heritage site on Tirana's major avenue. The structure was built during the Communist era and has an architectural style with the National Museum of History and the Palace of Culture. The two-story structure is formed like the letter T and is divided into large-scale halls, containing the gallery's library on the first level as well as the two main exhibition rooms.
The gallery houses almost 4500 works of art by Albanian and foreign artists. The biggest collection is that of the Socialist Realism period, which has epic dimensions but is now tragically closed. The closure sparked considerable controversy and was not well accepted. The whole collection housed within the gallery dates back to the '800s, an Albanian art era produced by the Italian Academy of Fine Arts.
- Google Rating: 4.0/5
- Address: Rruga Murat Toptani, 21001 Tirana, Albania
- Website: http://galeriakombetare.gov.al/en/home/
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday - 09:00 to 19:00
