It was established in 1842 following a
parliamentary decision from 1836. Originally located in the
Royal Palace, Oslo, it got its own museum building in 1882, designed by
Heinrich Ernst and
Adolf Schirmer. Former names of the museum include
Den norske stats sentralmuseum for billedkunst and from 1903 to 1920
Statens Kunstmuseum. Directors include
Jens Thiis (1908–1941),
Sigurd Willoch (1946–1973), Knut Berg (1975–1995), Tone Skedsmo (1995–2000), and Anniken Thue (2001–2003). That the gallery had erroneously been labeled as technically unfit for paintings was reported in 2013. (A previous study—about the museums—
tåleevne) had never concluded about the fitness level, and
Norway's parliament had been misinformed about conclusions that in reality did not exist. The museum collection was moved to a new building, opened in 11 June 2022, gathering all sections of the National Gallery, except architecture. It is located on the harbor front, as part of the
Fjordbyen development, and the new building was designed by architects Kleihues + Schuwerk (
de), following their win in an architecture competition held in November 2010. ==Collection==