One of the largest and oldest galleries in Serbia stands in the heart of Novi Sad next to another attraction, the art museum, which is home to the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection.

It was founded in 1847 in the city of Pest (part of modern Budapest) with the support of the famous philanthropist and benefactor Sava Tekelija. He donated part of his property, as well as a very valuable collection of portraits. Over time, the halls of the gallery were replenished with new gifts and donations. The gallery’s prosperity reached its peak after moving to Novi Sad in 1864.

The Matica Srpska has never been an ordinary gallery. It is one of the most important cultural institutions of the country, a real "national treasure" of Serbia. It is believed that it was officially opened in 1933: the extensive collection was presented to the general public and became a roaring success. Later, in 1947, all the exhibits of the archeological, ethnographic, and other exhibitions, except the art collection, were transferred to the Museum of Vojvodina. So, the Matica Srpska became only an art gallery. In 1958, it moved to another building, where it remains to this day.

The Matica Srpska building was built in 1926 by the famous architect Lazar Dunderski and was intended for the Commodity Exchange. Today, its three floors house an extensive collection of fine art, which can be divided into three parts: painting, graphics, and drawings. The entire collection includes more than 7 thousand works from the 16th to the 21st centuries: ranging from the Byzantine art to Art Nouveau, from portraits to landscapes. Besides, there are many priceless icons donated by the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The permanent exhibition presents chronologically arranged works of crucial national significance for the modern history and culture of the Serbian people.