The National Gallery as the most complete collection of Hungarian painting and sculpture, holds around 100,000 artefacts. There are outstanding collections: the old Hungarian and the 19th-20th century painting, sculptures, and graphic, and contemporary collections.

The enormous collection has many pieces of art of world importance: Ádám Mányoki: Portrait of Ferenc Rákóczi II (Rákóczi Ferenc képmása, 1712), Mihály Munkácsy: Condemned Cell/The Convict (Siralomház, 1870), Pál Szinyei Merse: Picnic in May (Majális, 1873), Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka: Ruins of the Greek Theatre in Taormina (A taorminai görög színház romjai, 1904-05). Master MS's work The Visitation (Mária látogatása Erzsébetnél, 1506) is of particular value.
The spiritual predecessor of the gallery was the National Painting Hall (Nemzeti Képcsarnok) established in 1851. The National Gallery itself opened in 1957, and moved to the Royal Palace (Budavári Palota) in 1975.

The renovated Palatine Crypt (Nádorkripta) can be reached from the domed hall of the National Gallery. The Habsburg governors of the Hungarians, the Habsburg archdukes, their family members, and descendants are laid to rest here. Their sarcophagues are cast from bronze and richly ornamented with statues carved from noble materials. The Palatine Crypt was created in the early 19th century in a part of the Royal Palace that had been reconstructed at the time of Maria Theresa.

The museum library is open to the public. Guided tours of the museum are available upon prior request.