The National Gallery of Arts in Tirana, another cultural monument, is undergoing restoration to create suitable spaces for artworks and artists. Prime Minister Edi Rama recently visited the construction site of the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana.

“The National Gallery of Arts in Tirana is being rejuvenated with new exhibition spaces, a library, laboratories, and a new concept for its halls,” stated Rama.

The state budget investment aims not to alter the current building but to preserve and expand existing spaces, doubling the volume from the rear part of the building. From its current 4,600 m², the museum will expand to 10,100 m².

The National Gallery of Arts has its origins in the efforts of a group of Albanian artists and the Arts Committee in 1946.

The Pinacotheca was Albania’s first institution of figurative arts. After thorough work and numerous efforts, the Gallery of Arts officially opened to the public on January 11, 1954.

In 1956, due to the enrichment of the art collection, the flourishing of creativity, and contemporary acquisitions, the Gallery moved to a more suitable building with three floors on “Fortuzi” Street, featuring extensive exhibition spaces both inside and outside.

New visions for the development and exhibition of figurative arts, as well as increased acquisitions, led to a demand for a more functional building. This culminated in the inauguration of a new structure on November 29, 1974, on “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, where it stands today. This marked a moment of reorganization and the first reconstruction, involving the establishment of an administrative structure with several relevant sectors to support artistic activities.

The National Gallery of Arts has a mission to collect, preserve, document, study, restore, exhibit, and develop cultural heritage values, promoting the finest examples of Albanian visual art from traditional to contemporary national and international contexts.

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