The picture gallery's large collection of works are on display thanks to the efforts of many dedicated compatriots and friendly donations from foreign associates.

NGA has also incorporated many examples of "foreign art" (predominantly Western) into their collection, many of which were originally part of the 'Armenian Cultural Center' (the former Lazarian Seminary, Moscow), which was nationalized during the Soviet period and moved to Yerevan.

The complex also has a moderately sized library and archive, a small cafeteria, a souvenir and book store, and a hall used for film screenings and lectures.

The museum has an extensive collection of Armenian Apostolic Church-related paintings ranging from the 17th-19th centuries, as well as, silver book-covers of manuscripts, crosses, and 18th-century altar curtains from across Asia.

Beside works of Hovnatan Hovnatanian, strong collection of pieces by Hakob Hovnatanyan, founder of portrait genre in Armenian painting, is displayed in the Gallery.

The museum has an extensive collection of Biblical art – "The birth of Jesus and Adoration of the Shepherds" by Jacopo Bassano (recently the gallery received one more canvas by Bassano),[8] "Good Samaritan" by Leandro Bassano, works of Luca Giordano, Pietro da Cortona, Sebastiano Ricci, Luca Signorelli, Pompeo Batoni,[9] Bernardino Luini, Paolo Farinati, Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato, Alessandro Turchi, Giacomo Cavedone.

[6] The Flemish art school is represented by remarkable pieces including "Procession of Silenus" by Peter Paul Rubens,[13] "Descent from the Cross" by Anthony van Dyck,[14] outstanding still-life paintings by Verbruggen and Jan Fyt and "Mountain landscape" by Joos de Momper.

Work of comparatively little-known artist Jan Cossiers "Faun visiting peasants" is an example of realism art.

The section contains "Singing lesson" by Caspar Netscher, "Company at the Table" by Pieter Codde, "Holiday" Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot, piece by Cornelis Dusart, and paintings depicting tavern motifs etc.

In the gallery "Italianate landscape" is represented by the works of Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Cornelis van Poelenburgh, Karel Dujardin and Frederik de Moucheron.

The gallery holds works of such Dutch still life artists as Pieter Claesz,[16] Jan Weenix and Abraham van Beijeren.

[18] Section starts with works of remarkable artists of the 17th century[18] including "Rinaldo and Armida" by Jean-Honoré Fragonard,[13] "Head of a Young Woman" by Jean-Baptiste Greuze[6] and works of Jean-Marc Nattier,[8] Nicolas de Largillière,[8] François-Hubert Drouais,[13] Charles-André van Loo,[19] Jacques Courtois etc.

Recently the gallery received a canvas "Young woman with a flower" by one of the most prominent representatives of rococo - François Boucher.

The gallery holds works of Barbizon school artists, which heavily influenced development of realistic traditions in the French art of the 19th century, - Théodore Rousseau "Dusk in a forest", 2 paintings of Narcisse Virgilio Díaz[14] and seascape by Félix Ziem.

Works of Eugène Boudin, Louis Anquetin, Bernard Buffet and Adolphe Monticelli give a brief overview of the later development of the French art.

The collection includes graphic works of Jean-Antoine Watteau,[20] Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jacques Bellange, Jules Pascin, Auguste Rodin and others, sculptures of Antonio Canova and Étienne Maurice Falconet.

Art works of Henryk Siemiradzki, Sergey Zaryanko, Ivan Khrutsky and Vasily Serebryakov depict the second half of the 19th century.