The Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum is one of the oldest and first publicly accessible museums in Russia. Its creation was initiated by Professor of the Academy of Arts N.A. Koshelev, artist A.A. Karelin, son of a famous photographer, and the local creative intelligentsia.

The museum was founded by a decision of the City Duma in 1894, as recorded in the minutes of the meeting on July 14, 1894, where the establishment of an art museum in Nizhny Novgorod was discussed. At that time, there were already three museums in the city: the Zemsky Natural History Museum, the Diocesan Church Antiquities Repository at the Spiritual Seminary, and the Petrovsky Historical Museum.

The grand opening of the art museum took place on June 25, 1896, coinciding with the XVI All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod. In honor of this event, commemorative medals were issued: 25 silver and 300 bronze for participants and donors. Among the first visitors, on July 19, 1896, were Emperor Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, who were presented with two gold medals specially made for them.

Initially, the museum was located in the Dmitrievskaya Tower of the Kremlin and included two departments: historical and artistic. At the same time, an exhibition of the Society of Artists of Historical Painting dedicated to the Time of Troubles was held in the tower, part of whose exhibits were donated to the new museum.