On the basis of the art Department of the Vologda regional Museum in 1952 was organized by the Vologda regional art gallery and in February 1954 was opened for visitors. Today it is the only art gallery in the area. In 1962 Leningrad art historian and collector P. E. Kornilov gave the gallery a gift of more than 550 works of drawing, painting and sculpture of the XIX—XX centuries At this point in the WHT funds there are more than 30 thousand exhibits presented graphics, paintings, sculpture and works of folk decorative and applied arts.

Central exhibition hall of the gallery located in the building of the resurrection Cathedral, built in the late XVIII century, and more precisely in the 70-ies, on the draft local architect Sladeckova. This is one of the rare monuments of Baroque architecture in the city. This Church building is part of the Vologda Kremlin.

The structure of the gallery consists of four exhibition buildings: the Museum-creative centre "House Korsakova", Shalamov house, Central exhibition hall, and Memorial workshop A. V. Panteleev, honored artist of Russia. In the collection of the art gallery presents outstanding works of art of ancient Russia, Russian art in the period of the XVIII - early XX centuries, Soviet art and drawings, works of Russian original drawings XIX - XX centuries, works by local charts and artists.

The collection of Russian art presents paintings and graphic works of V. M. Vasnetsov, V. L. Borovikovsky, M. A. Vrubel, Mikhail Nesterov, M. P. Klodt, A. N. Benoit, K. J. Kryzhitsky, A. I. Kuindzhi and others.

The collection of works of art of Western Europe is relatively small, and mostly it consists of engravings of the XVII-XIX centuries. In the picture gallery shows the work of many eminent graphs: gérard Audran, by Gustave Dore, Francesco Bartolozzi, Giles of Sadeler, Field Gavarnie, the Rafale of Morgen, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and others. Despite the small number of works of painting and applied art, the Museum almost all the main Western European schools. Here are the work of internationally recognized artists, and meet such famous names as Alexander Kalam, Jan Bot, Jan Minzu, Molenaar, Augustus van den Walls, Pietro Bazzanti, Louis Garb, Victor Evrard, Antonio Summers, and others.

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

Popularity has graphics section of the Museum and the Foundation works of the most eminent of the Vologda painters (V. N. Korbakov, G. I. Popov, T. Tutunjian, A. V. Panteleev, Y. Y. Kryzhevskaya and other), graphics (V. A. Sergeev, G. N. and N. In. Burmaginih and others) and national experts, as well as decorative and applied arts. All the works collected in the gallery, help to broaden our understanding of the development of art of the Vologda region, which is the oldest cultural center of the Russian North.

The Vologda picture gallery and provides educational services. Educational programs are conducted on-site training: "the Magical world of art" (the event is designed for preschoolers and elementary school students), workshops (for all ages), concerts, lectures for high school students, meeting with the creative intelligentsia of Vologda.