The national Arts Museum of Belarus is the vastest collection of fine arts, which is well-known in the world of culture.
The basis of the state collection of the artistic values in Belarus are the works collected after the civil war in the first museums of regional studies and history of Minsk, Vitebsk, Mogilev. On January 24, 1939 there was issued a resolution about the foundation of the State Picture-Gallery in Minsk.
During the Great Patriotic War the artistic treasures of the country were robbed by the fascist invaders. The destiny of the collection taken out by the fascists is still unknown. The revival of the collection in the after war period is connected with the activity of the director of the gallery, eventually the director of the museum, honoured worker of arts of the BSSR Aladova. By means of expeditions, purchases from the exhibitions, the artists' studios and private persons a new collection was increasingly being formed.
In 1957 the Picture gallery was renamed into the State Arts museum of the BSSR and was situated in a new building, built up according to the project of the architect Baklanov. In 1993 the museum acquired the national status according to the resolution of the government.
The museum carries out much work on the enlargement of its expositions. There are affiliated independent departments which are open and function: "The Museum of Byelorussian folk art in Raubichy","The District Picture Gallery of Mozyr in the village Guriny" of Mozyr district in Gomel region,"The museum of Vitold Kiretanovich Byalynitsky-Birulia" in Mogilev. The monuments of architecture are restored to museum expositions: "The castle-park complex of 15-20 centuries" in the Mir town in district Korelichy of the Grodno region, "The house-museum of the Vankovichies. The culture and art of the first half of the 20th century".
At the beginning of 2001 there are 25610 displays of painting, graphic arts, sculpture and arts and crafts.
One of the most important aspects of the scientifically enlightening work in the museum is the exhibition activity.
The primary goal is to exhibit the works of the national art from funds and the organization of the thematic and personal exhibitions of Byelorussian artists. There are programs of the following cycles of exhibitions worked out and put into practice: Byelorussian art of the 1940-1990, portrait, landscape, historical genre, still life, genre art, interior, animalism; - Byelorussian art of the 16-18 centuries: icons, wood engraving, the works of applied arts of the following regions: Gomel, Brest, Vitebsk, Grodno; - Artistic glass and china. There are exhibitions of the leading artists of two Byelorussian glass plants and Minsk china plant. - Personal exhibitions of the Byelorussian artists, for example, to the 100 anniversary of Astapovitch and Tycheena; posthumous exhibitions of works of Anikeychick, Zaitsev, Seleshchuck; family exhibitions of the Poplavskys, Kashkureviches. - "At the Gallery" and "Coming back to the Image" presents the work with the young artists and the artists of the academic studios of the ministry of culture in Belarus. - The exhibitions from the funds of Russian arts - anniversary, dedicated to the creativity of Ivazovsky, Shishkin, Zhukovsky, Turzhansky, Goravsky and thematic ones, for example "125 Years of the Association of the Mobile Art Exhibitions".
After 1991 the principle of organization of the exchange exhibitions changed. The museum cooperates with embassies and consulates accredited in the republic of Belarus, hosts exhibitions from Germany, France, Great Britain, the USA, Greece, India, Switzerland, Japan, China. There is an opportunity to organize a cycle of exhibitions "The artists of Belarus as a Foreign Country". The joint project of the National Arts Museum and the Academy of music enjoys great popularity among the Minsk citizens. It is a cycle of exhibition from the funds of Russian arts and a cycle of evenings of Russian romances at the openings of these exhibitions. The students of Byelorussian State Academy of music, the soloists of Byelorussian State Philharmony and the National Opera Theatre take part in the concerts. The museum organizes exchange exhibitions abroad: in Nitra (Slovakia), in Peking and Tientsin (China), in Taypei (Taiwan), Sabadel (Spain), Warsaw (Poland) and Moscow (Russia).

The address of the museum: Lenin str., 20, 220030 Minsk the Republic of Belarus
tel./fax 375 172 27 56 72
Excursion office 375 172 27 71 63
The museum is open every day except Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the cash desk - from 11 a.m. to 6, 30 p.m.