This museum is located in the center of Chisinau, being the only institution of the kind in the Republic of Moldova. It was founded in 1939 by the sculptor Alexandru Plămădeală and Auguste Baillayre – a French painter, professor at the “School of Fine Arts” in Chisinau, who also became the first director of the National Art Museum of Moldova.

The museum’s collection includes more than 39,000 works, reflecting the development of fine arts between  the XV-XXI centuries. The museum permanently houses exhibitions of European, Russian and Oriental art. Nowadays the museum is housed in the building of the former girls’ gymnasium, founded by Princess Natalia Dadiani in the early 20th century.