The history of the Estonian Art Museum began with difficulties right after its founding. Established in 1919, the museum only received a permanent location in 1921 when it settled in an architectural monument of the 18th century, the Kadriorg Palace. However, by 1929, the museum was forced to leave the palace, which was nationalized for reconstruction and turned into the residence of the President of Estonia.

Since 1929, the museum changed temporary locations several times until the Kadriorg Palace was returned to it in 1946. The Soviet authorities apparently decided that palaces should not serve as venues for government meetings. From the 1950s, the museum began to operate normally, actively replenishing its collections and expanding exhibition spaces. In the late 1970s, the first branches of the museum appeared.

In 1991, the Supreme Council of Estonia decided to build a new building for the museum due to the deteriorating condition of the Kadriorg Palace. The restoration lasted almost nine years and was supported by Sweden, which allocated 21 million Swedish kronor for this purpose. From 1993 to 2005, the museum was located in the Knights' Hall in Tallinn.

Since 1995, the museum's branches have actively engaged in educational activities, organizing lessons and art studios for youth. In 1996, an exhibition hall opened in the former salt warehouse of Rotermann. In 2000, the restoration of the Kadriorg Palace was completed, which became a branch of the museum, now showcasing foreign art.

Today, the Estonian Art Museum unites several museums, each playing an important role in the cultural life of the country. Among them are the Kadriorg Art Museum, the Adamson-Eric Museum, the Niguliste Museum, and the Mikkel Museum. In February 2006, the Kumu Art Museum opened in Kadriorg, becoming the new main building of the museum.

After almost a hundred years of existence, the Estonian Art Museum finally acquired its own building that meets modern requirements. Kumu is a multifunctional space with exhibition halls, auditoriums for scientific and educational activities, as well as an educational center for all ages.

The collection of the Estonian Art Museum and its branches includes over 55,000 works of art. The Niguliste Museum offers a collection of ancient art, including medieval and baroque church art, silverware from craft workshops and guilds, as well as the Brotherhood of Blackheads.

The Estonian Art Museum, which unites five Tallinn museums, houses about 60,000 works of national and foreign art. The Kadriorg Museum, located in the palace of the same name designed by architect Nicolo Michetti, contains a collection of Russian art from the 18th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Among the interesting exhibits are "The Soldier's Tale" by Ilya Repin, "The Peasant with Cranberries" by Ivan Kramskoy, "Poem" by Konstantin Korovin, and "Village Courtyard" by Valentin Serov. Soviet art is represented by works such as "May New Moon" by Konstantin Yuon and "Portrait of Gorky" by Vera Mukhina. The museum also holds a collection of icons from private collections.