The museum was founded in 1970 as the Krasnozersk Picture Gallery and operated as an exhibition hall at the House of Culture until 1975. The idea of creating an art museum in Siberia belonged to the Hero of Socialist Labor, the first secretary of the Krasnozersk District Committee of the CPSU, V. I. Korobeynikov.

When the museum moved to a new building in 1975, its art collection included about 500 works by Novosibirsk authors. Today, the museum's collection comprises around 3,000 works from the Soviet period, created by approximately 300 authors.

In 1975, a local history hall opened in the museum, where items of everyday life, documents, and photographs telling the history of the district are now displayed. The museum has a total of three halls. The largest exhibition, consisting of artworks from its own collections, is located on the third floor and is a source of pride for the district.

The museum organizes more than 40 new exhibitions annually, including thematic, personal, and others, in collaboration with museums and creative organizations in Novosibirsk and the region, as well as with private collectors and local authors.

In addition to its exhibition activities, the museum actively engages in educational work for schoolchildren of all ages. It is visited by about 12,000 people each year. Today, the museum serves as a center for additional education for youth.