The Dnepropetrovsk art museum has been opened in 1914 due to the initiative of members of the art committee of Ekaterinoslav scientific society. The first exposition of Ekaterinoslav art gallery took place in the Potemkin palace (now – the Palace of students of the DNU) where 64 works of Russian and Ukrainian masters have been presented. In the 1920-30th, when the museum was in the Khrennikov’s house (now the “Ukraine” hotel), exposition and funds were  supplemented by the works of local and Western European artists from the collection of D. Yavornytsky, as well as from the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) and the Hermitage (St. Petersburg). Later, in 1936, the museum received over 300 works as a gift from the painter, Honoured Artist of USSR, Brodsky. Nowadays they compound the basis of the exposure. During the Great Patriotic War the museum building was destroyed; out of non-demolished items the fascist invaders destroyed more than 1,000 exhibits. But in 1947 the museum was already able to resume its work.

In permanent exposition it is possible to see works of outstanding masters of the past: ,V.Borovikovsky, I.Shishkin, I.Levitan, K.Korovin, V.Serov, I.Repin V.Makovsky, M.Pimonenko, K.Kostandi, S.Vasilkovsky, O.Murashko, D.Burljuk, B.Grigoriev. The true pearls of the museum’s collection are  the works of Yekaterinoslav symbolist painter M.Sapozhnikov.Nowadays the museum collection includes 8500 items, among them are paintings, sculptures, drawings and subjects of arts and crafts of XVI-XXI century. The outstanding products of native, West European and eastern art are stored in a museum. Recently funds have been considerably replenished with works of modern masters of Dnepropetrovsk region. The special place in a museum collection is devoted to the Petrikovka decorative paintings of the glorified masters: P.Pavlenko, T.Pata, N.Bilokon, V.Sokolenko, F.Panko. In general, the museum can be called a museum of art of our country at all stages of its development.

The museum has active educational, research and exhibition activities. Every year it hosts more than 30 various exhibitions of classical and modern art in different directions and schools, personal exhibitions of leading masters of the region, children’s creativity

In 2014 the museum is going to celebrate its 100th anniversary.