Closed for extensive renovations at time of writing, the excellent collection of the National Art Gallery should not be missed once it reopens in 2023.
Their varied collection of Albanian art covers a wide range of styles, tastes and historical periods. The permanent exhibition shows works by some of the country’s earliest artists, and some outstanding examples of Socialist Realist paintings depicting heroic partisans and idealised factory workers bristling with muscles and grinning with socialist satisfaction, all of it produced between 1944 and 1990 when even the size of the canvas and subject matter were dictated by the Party. There's contemporary modern art too, and we hope the Communist-era monuments and statues of Lenin and Stalin will return after renovations.
On the lawn in front of the museum stands Sou Fujimoto’s wondrous and accessible 'Cloud' structure (Reja), an installation made of hard white metal, yet resembling a puffy cloud, especially when it's lit up at night.