The National Art Gallery is one of the exhibition venues of the National Museums of Cagliari, an institute of the Ministry of Culture with special autonomy.

It is located in the ancient Castello district, inside the Cittadella dei Musei built between 1956 and 1979 with the recovery of the royal Arsenal and the medieval walls designed by architects Libero Cecchini and Piero Gazzola.

The Art Gallery has a pictorial collection focused on Sardinia, ranging from the 15th to the 20th century.

The exhibition routes follow the course of the ancient Spanish walls, inserted inside the museum.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is made up of the retables, the large altarpieces divided into compartments, which adorned the churches of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The works of Catalan and Sardinian artists, such as the Cavaros or Antioco Mainas, increase the prestige of this section.

Also on display is a rare bronze aquamanile, in the shape of a peacock, found in San Salvatore a Mores (Sassari), dating back to around the year 1000, the work of Islamic workers.

The exhibition is completed by a Reliquary of the SS. Martyrs of Sardinia in mahogany with inlays of ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell and brass inserts, dated to ca. 1615-1620.

On the second floor are the works, mainly of religious themes, which cover the period from 1600 to 1700. The paintings are the work of Genoese, Emilian, Roman and Neapolitan artists, who worked for the various churches in the city of Cagliari.

The conference and event room is located on the top floor. Canvases from the 19th and 20th centuries are exhibited here, with examples of the typical portraiture of the time and of the realism that is reflected in the depiction of agricultural activities and rural landscapes. The small collection is the result of testamentary donations, works commissioned by the city community to honor illustrious figures and purchases made by the State.