The art-gallery in Balchik has existed since the 30’s of the XX c. together with the Historical Museum. After the South Dobroudzha joined back to Bulgaria in 1940 the museum and the gallery were closed and the exhibitions were taken to Romania.

In the 60’s it was necessary for both of them to be opened again. Then some art works began to be collected. The national art gallery endowed to the gallery in Balchik seventy-six works of art of painting, black and white drawings and sculptures by Bulgarian artists. These paintings together with the personal endowments by the people of Bachik formed the first exhibition which was called “Balchik and the Sea” and which was opened on 25th May 1965.

A great contribution to the establishment of the art-gallery and to the first exhibition had Clara Petkova who was a curator in the museum and the artist Nikola M. Daskalov.

In 1987 the art gallery needed a larger exhibition area and a depot. For this purpose it was placed in a building that used to be high school and it had been reconstructed with the donations by “Fund 1300 years Bulgaria”.

The total exhibition area of the Art Gallery is 800 sq m.

On the ground floor there are two show rooms that are used for temporary and visiting exhibitions and there is one hall for foreign art. On the top floor there is a permanent exhibition containing some of the most significant and interesting works by Bulgarian artists. In the center of the lobby is shown the torso of God Dionysus / replica of a Greek original/. It is the symbol of the ancient name of the town – Dionysopolis.

In the center of the lobby is shown the torso of God Dionysus / replica of a Greek original/. It is the symbol of the ancient name of the town – Dionysopolis. The permanent exhibition is spread in two main areas orientated to the both periods: Art from the first half of the XX c and from the transitional period /the decade of the 50’s/ and from the second half of the XX c /beginning of the 60s to its end/.

The most prominent artists from the bourgeois period are: Vladimir Dimitrov the Master, Nikola Tanev, Atanas Mihov, Bencho Obreshkov, Tzanko Lavreniv, Ivan Nenov, Stoyan Venev, Nencho Balkanki, Mario Zhekov, Ilia Petrov, Preslav Karshovski, Christo Kavarnaliev,Petko Abadzhiev, Vera Lukova. Amongst the contemporary masters of the brush are Nayden Petrov, Genko Genkov, Svetlin Roussev, Dimitar Kirov,Vladimir Goev, Margarita Deneva, Rumen Gasharov, Lyuben Dimanov, Ivan Vukadinov, Emil Stoychev, Georgi Baev, Ivan B. Ivanov, Elza Goeva, Marko Monev, Vasilka moneva, Nikifor Tzonev. Young generation representatives are Edmond Demerdzhiyan, Ivan Chernev, Milko Bozhkov, Tzvetan Kazandzhiev, Gredi Assa, Andrey Daniel, Vihroni Popnedelev.

The works are mainly with a marine theme, scenes from the old Balchik, portraits and still lifes. There also have been known some black and white drawings by popular Bulgarian artists- Tenyu Pindarev, Stoimen Stoilov, Petar Chuklev, Chrito Neykov, Pencho Balkanski, Todor Tzonev, Borislav Stoev, Tzvetana Stancheva, Christo Gradechliev, Mitko Sabev, Vesselin Staykov, Simeon Venev, Todor Panayotov.

Very interesting is the group of eleven Romanian artists who have painted Balchik during the occupation of Dobroudzha. They are Alexandru Satmari, Nikolae Darasku, Samuel Myutzner, Konstantin Petresku-Dragoe,Konstantin Konstantinesku, George Nikita, George Teodoresku-Romanati, Hrant Avakinyan, Tache Papatrendafil, Paul Mirakovich, George Barbieri. A modest collection of fourteen pictorial canvases has been left as a heritage from the first museum exhibition.

The town of Balchik that was chosen by Romanian Queen Maria for her southern residence attracted some Romanian intellectuals and artists. In the 30’s there was some talk about a Balchik artistic school. The Romanian artists had been impressed by the ancient picturesqueness ant oriental exotic character of the town with its mosques, markets, bridges and hills.

At the same time here was discovered the talent of the artist named Boris Karadzhov. He was born in Balchik and had graduated The Academy of Arts in Bucharest. Despite all he always stayed in love with his native town. When the gallery was opened he made he donated to it his work “Pieta”. Nowadays the art-gallery is a center of yearly events such as the international festival “Process – Space” and “Artists, Balchik, love”, the plein-air workshop „European horizons” and the Caricature Plein- Air. During the cultural holidays in May, The week of the Sea in August and The National Cultural Holidays in Albena the gallery opens its doors for some literature meetings, children’s exhibitions, recitals and chamber concerts. Events, connected to the history of Balchik and Bulgaria, are also held. It is wide open for new works, young authors and modern art trends.

The art gallery has well structured fund of works of art, which is enriched every year with new works from endowments and deals.

At the present the collection of the gallery consists of 1500 works by 447 Bulgarian and foreign artists, 556 paintings, 118 aquarelles and posters, 170 caricatures and 76 sculptures.