The Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery in Nové Zámky was established on 1 January 1979 at the initiative of the Nové Zámky native, academic painter Ernest Zmeták. The exhibition spaces opened in January 2004, the “Permanent Exhibition of Lajos Kassák” opened in March 2004, and the “Permanent Exhibition of European Art of the 16th–20th Centuries” from the donation of Ernest and Danica Zmeták opened in June 2004.
In addition to its permanent exhibition, the gallery also presents regular shows of 20th- and 21st-century art with a focus on Slovak, Hungarian and Czech art. The gallery’s iconic project is “PERTU”, which originated in 1993; its originally broader focus crystallised into a comparison of the work of Slovak and Hungarian visual artists.
The Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery in Nové Zámky is a member of the Council of Slovak Galleries. It was named Gallery of the Year 2013. Since 2019 the gallery has been a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).