The collection started to form in the 1960s but this Department was formed not earlier than 90s after the official Museums opening in 1973.

From its foundation and up to the present day the Museum has had meagre funds for art purchasing as a result the Museum today has a more-than-modest art collection which includes the period between the end of the 19th and the end of the 20th century.

The first collected exhibits were the icons, work of unknown painters Zografs obtained before the official opening of the Museum in 1973 and this denoted the beginning of forming a collection.

Icons were made on wood by the tempera technique. Composition solutions are simple, the colour palette is most reduced and the tints are bright. As regards their artistic value, it can be said that they are just solidly made craftworks considering that, although the authors tried to work on patterns of the Byzantine art, it is obvious that they did not comprehend or perceive it on a right way. This 'conservative' art was directed on tradition and models from the past what meant guarantee for the preservation of the national and religious integrity.

In the 19th century this 'zographic' model of painting was spread all over the Balkans, the territory of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia.

Distinguished by exquisite workmanship and plenty of guilt is the icon of the Mother of God with Christ, made in Petersburg and commissioned by the Kulagić family from Novi Pazar. Dimensions of the icon are 22.5x15cm and the central composition is outlined by the stylised herbal decoration of wood from which the gilt has completely fallen off. The central representation makes the Mother of God, depicted from the waist up, with little Christ who is sitting on her left arm. They are presented in opulent clothes, with crowns and nimbus on their heads. The Mother's of God dress is green and has a guilt waist band over which stretches a richly decorated maphorion with a blossoming vine all over it. In her right hand, the Mother of God is holding a sceptre. Christ raises his right hand in blessing and holds a globe in his left hand. Stylised clouds are depicted in the corners and cherubs with cinnabar wings peep from behind them.

Exceptional for its high-quality workmanship, classicistic restraint and balance, is the icon of St. Djordje Pesak, made by unknown authors, dated to the end of the 19th century. The figure of the saint is depicted as standing, his head slightly turned to the right. In his right hand he is holding a spear let down by his body and in this left hand, at the level of his chest, a cross with the green leaf. He is clad in a short green hiton (clothes) and has a cinnabar himation (overcoat) thrown over his shoulder. There is a halo surrounding his brown unravel hair. His face is presented young, fresh, ruby. The expression of the face is visionary. The colours are refined; the incarnate is bright and rosy.

In the years that came, the fund was enlarged by purchasing 31 drawings and two graphics made by the painter and graphic artist, Ljubomir Ivanović. On these drawings and graphics are motifs of Novi Pazar and Sjenica and they are made in 1935/36 during his travelling trough this region. All drawings have original signatures and with a note of the place and year when they are made. The motifs which began in nature or in the street present one typical Oriental-Balkan city with all its characteristics, such as old and dilapidated houses, gates, curvilinear streets, old shops, etc. As the evidence eternalised from this travel, he left us the legacy of artistic valuables that today make up the permanent exhibition of this Museum.

The organization of art exhibitions in the Museum in the last couple of years contributed that its artistic fund is now enlarged by a number of artistic works of a more recent date. This includes paintings, drawings, caricatures, copies of the medieval frescos and graphics made by authors Mehmed Slezović, Svetislav Đurić, Zdenka Živković, Ludvig Vincent Gadomski, Irena Rogan, Seid Hasanefendić, Jovanka Ulić…

Presented work of Mehmed Slezovic to the Museum are the parts of the graphic map thematically connected for native ambient of Novi Pazar with elements of the Balkan Oriental architecture. The graphics were made in the technique of pin stamping and etching.