Art Museum

National Gallery of North Macedonia

National Gallery of North Macedonia
National Gallery of North Macedonia

National Gallery of North Macedonia is an art museum in Skopje, North Macedonia.

About National Gallery of North Macedonia

The National Gallery (Macedonian: Национална галерија; Albanian: Galeria Nacionale) is a national art museum of North Macedonia in the Old Bazaar, located in the capital city of Skopje. Its permanent collection is housed in the 15th century Turkish Bath building known as the Daut Pasha Baths (Macedonian: Даут-пашин амам; Albanian: Hamami i Daut Pashës), but the museum also features a smaller exhibition at the nearby Čifte Hammam. Founded in 1948, the museum's collection dates from the 14th century. In addition to Daut Pasha Baths, it also includes three other facilities: the Mala Stanica Multimedia Center, the Čifte Hammam, and the Lazar Lichenoski Memorial House.

National Gallery of North Macedonia by the numbers

Founded
1948

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National Gallery of North Macedonia

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Overview

The National Gallery of North Macedonia is a national art museum situated in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, the country's capital. Established in 1948, the institution preserves and presents the nation's artistic heritage, with its permanent collection encompassing works from the 14th century onward. The gallery spreads its activities across several historic sites in the city, with its primary seat located in the 15th-century Daut Pasha Baths, a notable example of Ottoman architecture in the region.

Founding & history

The institution was founded in 1948 to safeguard and promote the artistic output of the region. Over the decades, the gallery expanded its footprint beyond its original headquarters. In 2005, the gallery received the Mala Stanica building, a former railway structure that had been abandoned after North Macedonian independence in 1991, following a period of use by the Yugoslav army after 1945 and various informal cultural events. This addition transformed the space into a dedicated center for temporary exhibitions and cultural fairs.

Collection scope

The gallery's holdings span from the 14th to the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on contemporary art. The collection highlights the period when local painters shifted away from traditional forms toward international artistic currents. The permanent display in the Daut Pasha Baths features a large number of paintings by Macedonian artists. Additionally, the baths house three other specialized collections dedicated to Macedonian drawing, Macedonian graphic arts, and the works of artists from the former Yugoslavia.

Notable holdings

Among the artists represented in the permanent collection are the prominent 20th-century Macedonian painters Nikola Martinoski and Petar Mazev. The oldest exhibited works in the gallery's care date back to the 14th century.

Building & site

The gallery operates across four distinct facilities. Its main seat is the Daut Pasha Baths, a 15th-century Ottoman hammam located at the entrance to the Old Bazaar, providing 900 square meters of exhibition space. A second historic bathhouse, the Cifte Hammam, also situated in the Old Bazaar, serves as a smaller exhibition venue. The Mala Stanica Multimedia Center occupies a 1924 railway building originally constructed for an unfinished Skopje-Ohrid line near the former Gorno Skopje station. The fourth site is the Lazar Lichenoski Memorial House.

Visiting

The National Gallery of North Macedonia is located in Skopje. Its primary exhibition spaces are concentrated in the historic Old Bazaar district, with the Daut Pasha Baths and the Cifte Hammam both accessible there. The Mala Stanica Multimedia Center hosts temporary exhibitions and fairs. The institution maintains an official web presence for public access and information.

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Artworks shown from National Gallery of North Macedonia are in the public domain; images via the open-access programs of their source collections. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.