The Orenburg Regional Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1960 and opened its doors in 1961. It is located in a building constructed in the early 19th century by architect Mikhail Malakhov for the City Duma. The core of the museum's collection consists of works by academic painter Lukian Vasilyevich Popov, one of the prominent representatives of late Peredvizhnichestvo, who was born and worked for a long time in Orenburg.

The museum houses works of ancient Russian, Russian, Soviet, and Western European art, from the late 16th century to the present day. The collection includes painting, graphics, sculpture, and decorative applied arts. Russian art of the 19th century is mainly represented by landscapes, including works by I. K. Aivazovsky, L. F. Lagorio, A. K. Savrasov, N. N. Dubovsky, V. E. Makovsky, V. D. Polenov, F. A. Malyavin, and other masters.

The main concept of the museum is to reflect the artistic life of the region in the context of the development of Russian national culture. A significant place in the collection is occupied by works of Orenburg artists, as well as exhibits related to local history and culture. Over the past twenty years, an interesting collection of naive painting by artists from Orenburg has been gathered, among which the name S. G. Stepanov has entered the world encyclopedia of naive art.

The Museum of Fine Arts represents almost all artistic crafts of the Ural region, including a unique collection of the famous Orenburg down shawl. It actively engages in collecting, scientific, and popularization activities, organizing various exhibitions, scientific readings, lectures, and museum 'Mondays', serving as an important cultural center for the city and region.

The museum offers tours of its permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions. The halls dedicated to L. V. Popov and the exhibitions of Russian and decorative applied arts are particularly popular among visitors.