National Gallery of Armenia
| Հայաստանի ազգային պատկերասրահ | |
The National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan
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| Established | 1921 |
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| Location | Yerevan, Armenia |
| Type | art gallery |
| Visitors | 65,000 (2005) |
| Director | Arman Tsaturyan |
| Website | official website |
The National Gallery of Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստանի ազգային պատկերասրահ Hayastani azgayin patkerasrah) is the largest art museum in the Republic of Armenia. Located on Yerevan's Republic Square, the museum has one of the most prominent locations in the Armenian capital. The NPGA houses significant collections of Russian and Western European art, and the world's largest collection of Armenian art. The museum had 65,000 visitors in 2005.
The National Gallery of Armenia (NGA) was founded in 1921 under the decree of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Armenian SSR) and represents the artistic section of the State museum. Upon its establishment the NGA's art section encountered difficulties, largely because Yerevan lacked state owned and private art collections to form the core of the collection. The first works to enter the collection where the dozens of works purchased from an Armenian painters' exhibition in August 1921.
A decisive factor in the founding of the NGA's art collection was the transfer of the renowned collection of The Armenian Cultural Center (the former Lazarian Seminary, Moscow) and also the donations made by Armenian artists to the NGA. By 1925, 400 pieces by Armenian, Russian and European artists were on display throughout the six halls which compose the museum's art section.
By 1935, the state art section, which had undergone many refurbishments, became a separate Art Museum. In 1947 the gallery was re-dubbed the State Picture Gallery of Armenia and subsequently renamed the National Gallery of Armenia in 1991. The picture gallery's large collection of works are on display thanks to the efforts of many dedicated compatriots and friendly donations from foreign associates.
The NGA currently houses around 26,000 works of art, many of which are permanently displayed in the museum's 56 galleries and halls.
Armenian art makes up a large part of the collection, beginning with ancient and Medieval art: Urartu frescoes and copies of Garni Temple’s mosaics and Medieval wall-paintings and miniatures, including a 7th-century fresco of "Christ Enthroned" from St. Stephanos Church (Lmbatavank), a10th-century fresco fragment of "The Last Judgment" from St. Poghos-Petros (Tatev), and a 13th-century fresco depicting the Nativity from St. Astvatsatskin (Akhtala),
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