The Republican Art Museum named after C. S. Sampilov is part of the Buryat National Museum. In 1944, with the opening of the art museum in Buryatia, the need to support local art arose, so the first collection consisted of works by local artists. The Sampilov Museum in Ulan-Ude officially opened in 1946, when the first exhibition took place. Over time, the collection was supplemented with works by Russian authors.

In 1966, the museum was named after Tsirenjapa Sampilov, the people's artist of Buryatia, who laid the foundations of professional Buryat art. Currently, the museum's collection includes more than 9,000 works of art.

The Sampilov Museum houses several collections. The collection of Buryat art includes decorative and applied arts, featuring works by local craftsmen working with wood, bone, stone, metal, and other materials, as well as ceramics and batik. Buryat tapestries made from horsehair are of particular interest. In the painting section, one can see works by the first professional Buryat artists depicting local life and worldview. The museum also presents graphics and sculpture from Buryatia.

The museum's silver collection is a standalone exhibition, showcasing items from the 19th and 20th centuries that reflect the characteristics of Buryat jewelry art.

The collection of Russian art includes exhibitions of 18th-century Russian art with realistic portraits, 19th-century Russian academic art featuring works by I. Aivazovsky, F. Moller, V. Borovikovsky, and others. Works by the Wanderers, such as V. Makovsky, N. Yaroshenko, V. Perov, and pieces from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by N. Roerich, K. Korovin, and P. Konchalovsky, can also be seen here.

A separate collection of Soviet art reflects life in the USSR. The collection of Buddhist art includes paintings, graphics, and sculpture.

The Sampilov Museum in Ulan-Ude conducts painting classes for children, lectures, workshops, and film screenings. Travelers recommend exploring the collection of decorative and applied arts of Buryatia. For those who want to better understand the traditional and contemporary art of the region, the Ulan-Ude Art Museum will be an excellent place to visit.