The museum was founded on August 1, 1968. Its collection includes over nine thousand exhibits, of which about two thousand are works by Russian and Soviet artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as 19th-century icons. The graphic collection features around five thousand original and printed works by domestic and foreign authors from the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The collection of decorative and applied arts contains more than 1.6 thousand exhibits from the late 19th and 20th centuries. It showcases folk clay toys, weaving and embroidery by masters from Bryansk, copper casting from the southwestern regions of the area, as well as crystal and glass products created by artists from the Dyatkovo Crystal Factory.

The collection also includes Russian and Soviet sculpture from the 20th century, totaling around 300 exhibits.

On September 14, 1995, a branch called the "Museum of the Tkachev Brothers" was opened, housing over 700 works by A. P. and S. P. Tkachev. Here, one can see canvases that have become classics of visual art from the second half of the 20th century, works created during their studies at the Bezhitsa House of Pioneers, academic period study setups, as well as series dedicated to Tyutchev's places, European travels, and sketches and drafts of works from various years.