The Gallery of Matica Srpska is at the Gallery Square. Its history is connected with the history of Matica Srpska, the most significant cultural institution among the Serbs, and Sava Tekelija, a great benefactor who endowed to Matica Srpska all his assets, including a valuable collection of portraits. The collection of items consisting of gifts has been growing gradually, in particular after Matica Srpska moved to Novi Sad in 1864. The year 1933 when the collections were presented to public, is taken as the official beginning of work of the Museum of Matica Srpska, which has been increasing the number of items in its art, archaeological, numismatic and ethnographic collection. In addition to art collection all other collections were assigned to Vojvodina Museum in 1947. The core of a newly founded art collection that was named the Gallery of Matica Srpska consisted of the collection of items from the art collection of the Museum of Matica Srpska. Since 1958 until today the Gallery of Matica Srpska has been accommodated in the building dating back to 1926, which was built according to the design by the Novi Sad architect Lazar D. Dundjerski for the needs of the Commodity Exchange. Permanent exhibition of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, divided in three units, consists mainly of the pieces of Serbian painting and graphic from the 16th to 21st century. Among 7,000 works of art we can single out paintings, graphics and drawings that were created in the period from the 18th to 20th century.
