The collection dedicated to applied arts and architecture was established gradually, built on the Cabinet of Applied Arts and Design (1961). The Cabinet has, over the time, absorbed a variety of media and items. At the beginning, the Cabinet was oriented at then preferred "artistic" design rather than the historical material.
Perhaps the biggest part of the collection consists of applied graphic art works, basis of which is the convoluted posters from the UMPRUM Museum in Prague collected in 1962. Later additions were a collection of posters from the Department of Graphic Art at the SNG and Pravda publishing company. The latest collection foundations, which was created in 1986, is the Architecture Fond and its largest acquisition was the archive of the Association of Architects. The Association will be maintaining, managing and making it available to public on the basis of gallery cooperation contract. The Collection of Applied Arts and Architecture includes various smaller collections dedicated to stage design, ceramics, wood, toys, graphic art, artistic jewellery, design, glass, arts and crafts and architecture.