中国美术馆是中国唯一的国家造型艺术博物馆。1958年开始兴建，1963年由毛泽东主席题写 “中国美术馆” 馆额并正式开放，是新中国成立以后的国家文化标志性建筑。主体大楼为仿古阁楼式，黄色琉璃瓦大屋顶，四周廊榭围绕，具有鲜明的民族建筑风格。主楼建筑面积18000多平方米，一至六层楼共有21个展览厅，展览总面积6660平方米；建筑周边有3000平方米的展示雕塑园；1995年建现代化藏品库，面积4100平方米。
中国美术馆集展览、收藏、研究、公共教育、国际交流、艺术品修复、文创产业于一体，是中国美术最高殿堂，也是公共文化服务平台。中国美术馆的事业蓬勃发展得益于政府支持及文化部的直接领导，政府设立了专项收藏资金，为美术馆收藏艺术珍品奠定了良好基础，而一些艺术家、收藏家出自社会使命感和把艺术奉献大众的信念，向国家无私捐献，为中国美术馆藏品提供了更为丰富的资源。
中国美术馆现收藏各类美术作品11万余件，从古代到当代，各时期的中国艺术名家代表作品，构成中国美术发展序列，兼有外国艺术作品，同时也包括丰富的民间美术作品。藏品中有苏轼、唐寅、徐渭、任伯年、吴昌硕、黄宾虹、齐白石、徐悲鸿、林风眠、刘海粟、潘天寿、蒋兆和、吴作人、李可染、董希文、吴冠中、朱德群等中国艺术大家的作品，于右任、高二适、沙孟海、启功等书法家的作品，刘开渠、滑田友、王临乙、曾竹韶、萧传玖、张充仁、王朝闻、潘鹤、刘焕章、文楼、朱铭等雕塑家的作品，也包括毕加索、达利、珂勒惠支、安塞尔·亚当斯等在内的外国艺术家作品。
The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) is the only national art museum of plastic arts in China. Starting to be built in 1958, NAMOC, with its title board inscribed by Chairman Mao Zedong, was formally open to the public in 1963. NAMOC is a national cultural landmark after foundation of the People’s Republic of China. The main building, roofed with yellow glazed tiles and surrounded by corridors and pavilions, features the styles of ancient Chinese attics and traditional architecture. The building, with 21 exhibition halls in its 6 stories, covers an area of more than 18,000 square meters. The museum boasts an exhibition area of 6,660 square meters. There are a sculpture park covering an area of 3,000 square meters and a modern collection storeroom founded in 1995 covering an area of 4,100 square meters.
NAMOC integrates exhibition, collection, research, public education, international exchange, restoration of artworks and cultural and creative industries. It is the highest hall of fine arts in China and also a public cultural service platform. The robust development of NAMOC benefits greatly from the support of the central government and the direct leadership of the Ministry of Culture. The government has established a special collection fund, which laid a solid foundation for the museum’s collection of art treasure. Quite a few collectors and artists donated their collections to the country out of their social responsibility and strong belief in “art serving the people”, which contributes to rich collections of NAMOC.
The museum houses more than 110,000 pieces of various collections, most of which are representative works of different periods and great artworks of Chinese art masters from ancient times till today, constituting art development history since the beginning of modern China. Collections also include some ancient paintings and calligraphy works, foreign artistic works as well as plentiful folk art works. The museum collects works of many Chinese great artists such as Su Shi, Tang Yin, Xu Wei, Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Liu Haisu, Pan Tianshou, Jiang Zhaohe, Wu Zuoren, Li Keran, Dong Xiwen, Wu Guanzhong and Zhu Dequn; works of famous calligraphers such as Yu Youren, Gao Ershi, Sha Menghai and Qi Gong; works of sculptors such as Liu Kaiqu, Hua Tianyou, Wang Linyi, Zeng Zhushao, Xiao Chuanjiu, Zhang Chongren, Wang Zhaowen, Pan He, Liu Huanzhang, Wen Lou and Zhu Ming. The museum also collects works of great foreign artists such as Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Kaethe Kollwitz and Ansel Adams.
