The non-Norwegian part of the drawing collection comprises around 2,000 items, primarily by older European masters. Several of the best known names in art history are represented here:

• Guido Reni
• Guercino
• Annibale Carracci
• Elisabetta Sirani
• Jean-Honoré Fragonard
• Rembrandt
• Vincent van Gogh
• August Heinrich
• Not least, the National Museum has the largest collection outside Dresden of drawings by the German romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich.

All the major Norwegian artists who worked in the print medium are represented, including:

• Edvard Munch
• Nikolai Astrup
• John Savio
• Rolf Nesch
• Anna-Eva Bergman
• Per Kleiva
• Sidsel Westbø
• Zdenka Rusova