The building of the City Art Gallery, located in the Old Town of Plovdiv is one of the most remarkable buildings in the city. It was designed by Josef Shniter in 1881 and is preserved in brilliant condition.
Under the roof of the former Girls' High School are lurking works of hundreds of artists, arranged in separate rooms. The collection of the gallery is one of the richest with over 7200 artworks. The most remarkable and valuable exponents are in wide halls with high ceilings. The exhibitions are permanent, the paintings are replaced only when a bigger treasure is found or they need restoration.
The Plovdiv gallery has a small hall for temporary exhibitions, which gradually reveals the treasure lying beneath the colossal building. It is different from the rest not only architecturally but also thematically. The premise is smaller, wrapped in a cozy wood with significantly lower ceiling. The exhibitions last longer. The paintings are replaced ones in every three months.
Benefactors and art connoisseurs helps the gallery by donating works of various authors. Some painters from Plovdiv donate their artworks as well to leave their mark in history. Another way enriching the heritage left by hundreds of artists is payment by picture. That means there are cases in which instead of paying for their exhibitions, which usually occur in the Hall for temporary exhibitions on "Knyaz Alexander I" st., artists donated some of their works, thereby supporting the gallery itself.
