In 1913, merchant and timber industrialist Mikhail Artemyevich Laptev built a magnificent mansion on Gogol Street (formerly Khanikovskaya), designed by Samara architect Alexander Shcherbachev. The building, executed in the style of late Art Nouveau, was distinguished by simplicity and elegance. It was located deep within a small garden, surrounded by a metal fence with wrought-iron gates. Behind the mansion were two spacious courtyards and a two-story house for servants. The "black" courtyard had utility buildings, a stable, and a bathhouse, while the "clean" courtyard featured a terrace, garden, and swimming pool.

However, Laptev did not live long in the new house. In 1917, revolutionaries turned the mansion into the headquarters of the Red Army. On November 28, 1919, Laptev was arrested and executed, and military units took residence in his home.

Only in 1920 was the building returned to artists. A collection of paintings, gifted to the city by Ufa artist Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov in 1907, was housed here. The collection had long been stored in Moscow and was transported to Ufa in 1919, where it was exhibited in the Aksakov House. Now it found a new home. The first director of the Ufa Art Museum was Moscow artist I.E. Bondarenko, who significantly enriched the museum's collection with unique masterpieces.

Today, the Bashkir State Art Museum possesses one of the largest collections of works by M.V. Nesterov in Russia. Its collection also includes the largest collection of paintings by David Davidovich Burliuk, known as the "father of Russian futurism." A particular pride is the gift from Mikhail Vasilyevich, a collection of Russian painting and graphics from the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring works by masters such as I.E. Repin, I.I. Shishkin, N.A. Yaroshenko, and others. The museum holds over 12,000 exhibits, including icon painting, graphics, sculpture, a library of ancient books, as well as works by contemporary artists and sculptors that are regularly exhibited.

In addition to exhibition halls, the Nesterov Museum has a restoration workshop. Classical music concerts and various master classes are held for visitors. The museum building is recognized as a model of a Russian estate from the early 20th century and is included in the list of Cultural Heritage of Russia.