The Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (North Norwegian Art Museum) is the main art institution for northern Norway, with a collection focused on art from and about the Arctic region. The permanent collection includes Norwegian Romantic landscape painting, works by northern Norwegian artists, and a substantial section on Sami visual art — one of the better places in Norway to engage with Sami artistic traditions outside of craft.
The museum also has a strong programme of temporary exhibitions. It sits in the city centre, close to the harbour, and admission to the permanent collection is free. If you are spending more than a day in Tromsø, it is worth half an hour even without a special exhibition on.