On the basis of the art department of the Vologda Regional Museum in 1952 it was organized by the Vologda Regional Art Gallery, and in February 1954 was open to the public. To date it is the only art gallery in the area. In 1962 the Leningrad art historian and collector PE Kornilov gave the gallery a gift of more than 550 graphic works, paintings and sculptures of XIX-XX centuries. At the moment the funds VOKG has more than 30 thousand exhibits presented graphics, painting, sculpture and works of folk, decorative and applied art.

Central exhibition hall gallery housed in the building of the Resurrection Cathedral, built in the late XVIII century, and more precisely in the 70s, designed by local architect Zlatitskogo. This is one of the rare monuments of Baroque architecture of the city. This church building is part of the Vologda Kremlin.

The structure of the gallery is composed of four exposure units: Museum and Creative Center "House Korbakov" Shalamov House, Central Exhibition Hall and Memorial Workshop AV Panteleyev, Honored Artist of Russia. The collection of the gallery presents outstanding works of art of ancient Russia, the Russian art in the period XVIII - early XX centuries, Soviet and Western European art, works of Russian kind of graphics XIX - XX centuries, the work of local artists and schedules.

The basis of the collection of Russian art is represented by paintings and graphics VM Vasnetsov, VL Borovikovsky, MA Vrubel, M. Nesterov, MP Klodt, AN Benoit, KY Kryzhitsky, AI Kuinji and others.

Art Collection of Western Europe is relatively small, and mostly it consists of engravings XVII-XIX centuries. In the gallery showing the work of many famous graphs: Gerard Audran, Gustave Dore, Francesco Bartolozzi, Sadelera Giles, Paul Gavarni, Rafal Morgen, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and others. Despite the small number of paintings and works of applied art, the museum presents almost all major Western European schools. Here, there are works of internationally recognized artists, and then there are such well-known names like Alexandre Calame, Jan Both, Jan Molenaar Means, Augustus Van den Steen, Pietro Batstsanti Louis Robe, Victor Evrard, Antonio Leto and others.

The exhibited paintings make up a kind of ensemble harmony, inspiration, beauty. Famous, unknown, and sometimes anonymous creators left us his thoughts about life, embodied in their favorite landscapes, portraits contemporaries, household sketches and great historical scenes.

Most famous is the graphics section of the museum, as well as fund the most famous works of Vologda painters (VN Korbakov GI Popov, T. Tutundzhan, AV Panteleyev, Ya.Yu. Kryzhevskaya, etc.), graphics (in .A. Sergeev, and GN Burmaginyh NV and others) and national experts, as well as decorative and applied arts. All the works are collected in the gallery, to help expand the idea of ​​the development of art of the Vologda region, it is an ancient cultural center of the Russian North.

Vologda Art Gallery and provides educational services. Educational programs are conducted with exit employment: "The Magical World of Art" (the event is designed for preschoolers and elementary school students), master classes (for all ages), concerts, lectures for high school students, meeting with creative intelligentsia of Vologda.