The Art Gallery was opened on 25/05/1962. At the beginning was opened the new gallery of art by cultural and political activist Angel Budevici. Were purchased works from the collections of Michael Kremen and Bogomil Raynov. In 1962 the city attracts artists from all over the country, including Stoyan Venev, Panayot Panayotov, Ivan Hristov and others. The original fund of the gallery created by them has about 80 paintings. The building of the Art Gallery “Nikola Petrov” was built in 1892 on the foundations of an ancient city facility. Author of the project is architect Todor a supreme personality. In 1976, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the death of the great Bulgarian painter Nikola Petrov, born in Vidin, it was decided that the gallery should bear his name. Then is placed the basorelief of the artist above the front door of the gallery, an work of the sculptor George Chapkanov.
Today, the gallery contains over 1,400 works of art. The most populated is the department “Painting” – it includes 800 paintings. Among these are the original works of Ivan Markvichka, “Portrait of a Lady” by Boris Mitov, “Portrait of Dr. Vitanov” Nikola Petrov, “The market Byala Slatina” and “Baba Vida”, thirteen works of Master Vladimir Dimitrov, including “Mother and child “Wanderer -” Gemini “Zlatyu Boyadzhiev – three paintings, among which is the subject composition Brezovsko cycle” On the ground “, Stoyan Venev, Vasil Stoilov, Zdravko Alexandrov, Ivan Tabakov and other major fine art creators. In the collection are works by Ivan Hristov, Ivan Ivanov, Yordan Geshev, Alexander Poplilov, Vladimir Mansky born in Vidin and Stefan Todorov, one of the founders and first director of the gallery. They are the most brilliant representatives of contemporary painting Bulgaria – Georgi Pavlov – Pavleto, Svetlin Rusev, works by Nayden Petkov, Alexander Petrov, Dimitar Kazakov – Neron, Emil Stoychev, Yaranov Atanas, Ivan Vukadinovic, Jordan Katsamounski and others. The gallery has paintings from almost all modern artists from Vidin.
The Graphic Department of Art Gallery in Vidin includes 45 original prints of masters of the world: Rembrandt, “Portrait of Kopenol” – engraving, Durer Albreht “The Kiss of Judas” – woodcut, series of Gustave Doré illustration “Hell” – woodcut and lithograph “Chieftain”, Francisco Goya’s etchings “Celebration of the Women” and “Philip IV the Spanish, Francois Millet “Newborn “- etching, the lithography with Delacroix” Algerine women “,” Ancient medallions” and “Kovacs “, Theodore Rousseau “Bio Landscape”. The gallery holds works by Bulgarian artists – Veselin Staikov, Vasil Zahariev, Iurie Minchev, Galileo Simeonov, Peter Chuklev, Rumen Skorchev and others.
In the “Sculpture” section, are stored sculptures by Ivan Funev, Lubomir Dalchev, Gyukova Anastasia, Nikola Terziev, Boris Gondov, Alexander Apostolov, Prodan Prodanov and others. The Art Gallery “Nikola Petrov” for four years is the organizer of the national exhibition “Landscape” of national and international workshops. Their works will also enrich the gallery.
