Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters (Croatian: Strossmayerova galerija starih majstora) is a fine art gallery in Zagreb, Croatia, that forms part of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti). Located at 11 Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square in the Donji grad district, the gallery houses a major collection of European paintings from the 14th to the 19th centuries, assembled by Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer and donated to the city in 1884. The gallery holds approximately 4,000 works, of which some 250 are on permanent display, and is recognized as one of Croatia's most important repositories of Old Master painting.

The origins of the gallery are intertwined with the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, which was founded in 1866 with Bishop Strossmayer as its patron. The Academy initially lacked a permanent home and was housed in various locations, including the building of today's Natural History Museum and later the People's House on Opatička Street. In 1868, Strossmayer presented his art collection to the public at the Academy's premises, and that same year he developed the idea of constructing a dedicated palace to house both the Academy and an art gallery. In 1875, he donated 40,000 forints to the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts for this purpose, entrusting the design to Viennese architect Friedrich von Schmidt. The first proposed location was rejected due to public disapproval, and in 1876 the city council selected the southern side of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square. Schmidt redesigned the project in 1877 with assistance from his pupil Herman Bollé, and construction began that same year under Bollé's supervision. The palace was completed in 1880, and the first official session was held there on October 22. However, a major earthquake that year severely damaged the building, delaying its official opening. On November 9, 1884, the palace was formally handed over to the Academy, and the Strossmayer Gallery opened to the public that November. Bishop Strossmayer had been acquiring paintings for three decades, since his appointment as bishop of Đakovo in 1850, beginning with Italian Renaissance works from Florence and Venice before diversifying into northern European and 17th-century art in the 1870s. The collection's prestige attracted further donations from contemporary artists and philanthropists, including Ivan Ružić, Marquis Etienne de Piennes, Ante Topić Mimara, and Zlatko Baloković. The expansion of more recent works led to the founding of the Modern Gallery in 1934. Significant architectural modifications occurred after the Archaeological Museum moved out in 1945. Architect Ivo Župan reorganized the exterior and interior staircases in 1947-1948, widened access to the first floor, and opened the atrium to connect the interior with Zrinjevac Park, paving the galleries, atrium, and entrance areas with stone and cladding the columns in stone. The exterior staircase was expanded in 1982, and a full palace restoration followed in 2000, replacing damaged stone elements and façade decorations. In 2020, the building was damaged by another strong earthquake and, as of August 2025, remains closed for repairs.

The Strossmayer Gallery's holdings span European painting from the 14th through the 19th centuries and are organized into three principal groups: Italian, French, and Northern European (German, Flemish, and Dutch) works, supplemented by paintings by Croatian artists. The Italian Renaissance constitutes a particular strength, reflecting Strossmayer's early collecting focus. The Croatian artists in the collection were historically grouped under the collective name Schiavoni, derived from the Italian term for Slavs, as these artists born on the eastern shore of the Adriatic had lives and careers associated with Italy.

The collection is displayed across ten rooms in a chronological and school-based arrangement. Beyond paintings, the Academy building also houses the Baška Tablet (Bašćanska ploča), the oldest known example of Glagolitic script, dating from 1102. A large statue of Bishop Strossmayer by sculptor Ivan Meštrović stands in the park behind the academy.

The gallery's collection includes works by many of the most significant European masters. Among the Italian painters represented are Raphael, Fra Angelico, Vittore Carpaccio, and Mariotto Albertinelli. The Venetian school is represented by Andrea Schiavone and Jacopo Palma il Giovane. The collection also holds works by El Greco, the Flemish painter Joachim Patinir, and the French artist Antoine-Jean Gros, including his Portrait of Madame Récamier painted around 1825. Northern European masters include Jacob van Ruisdael. Other notable names in the collection are Federico Bencovich, Mazzola, and Vernet. The Italian miniaturist Matteo da Milano is represented by illuminated pages from the Breviary of Ercole I d'Este, regarded as a masterpiece of Italian miniature art. The collection also includes works by Jan de Cock Wellensz and pseudo-Pier Francesco Fiorentino.

The gallery occupies a neo-Renaissance palace designed by Friedrich von Schmidt with assistance from Herman Bollé, situated on the southern side of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square in Zagreb's Donji grad district, within the August Šenoa local board area. The building was originally conceived to accommodate both the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Archaeological Museum collection, explaining its substantial scale. The palace features a prominent exterior staircase and an atrium that opens onto Zrinjevac Park, a connection established during the 1947-1948 renovations by Ivo Župan. The neo-Renaissance architectural vocabulary reflects the Viennese academic tradition of its designers. The building suffered severe damage in the 1880 earthquake shortly after completion, and again in 2020, necessitating ongoing repairs.

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters is located at 11 Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square, Zagreb, Croatia. It operates as part of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The gallery's website is http://www.mdc.hr/strossmayer/. As of August 2025, the gallery remains closed to the public due to earthquake damage sustained in 2020 and ongoing repair work.