Housed in the west wing of Sofia's former King's Palace, the National Art Gallery's 12,000 exhibits feature works by the most prominent 19th and 20th-century Bulgarian artists.
Established in 1948, the gallery has become Sofia's prime location for visual art, hosting works by painters including Zahari Zograph, Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora and Tzanko Lavrenov, as well as the sculptor Andrei Nikolov. The display halls feature red velvet-covered walls, huge crystal mirrors, rococo plaster and marble fireplaces.