In 1887, artist Vasily Polenov was traveling by train to Crimea and, looking out the window, was struck by the beauty of the banks of the Oka River. Inspired by the view of Russian nature, he wrote to his wife: "Beautiful places on the Oka near Serpukhov and beyond. This is where we should settle. I dream of a little house by the Oka, of how we will arrange it, how we will live there, and we will make a large room for a museum, gallery, and library."

Thoughts of his own cozy place did not leave Polenov for several years. In 1890, he purchased land from the impoverished landowner Sablukova in the area of the village of Byokhovo. From that time, the construction of a large architectural ensemble began, which Polenov designed himself. Each complex of buildings had its unique name, sometimes quite pompous. For example, the small house with a boat shed was called the Admiralty, and the carpentry workshop was named the Half-timbered Barn. Polenov's own workshop, a white brick building with a red roof, was called the Abbey. All the outbuildings and the wall around the estate were made of local limestone, which the artist referred to as Tarusa marble.

The place transformed: the bare hill was planted with maple, oak, and pine, and later thuja, cedar, and fir appeared. Polenov fulfilled his dream: "My desire to create a museum came true when we built a house by the Oka for the collections. I am happy when I see visitors coming and studying our collections. Whole tours come from nearby cities, schools, villages, peasants with children."

Thus, by 1892, the Polenov Museum became the first art museum in a village in Russia, accessible to the general public. After the artist's death, the complex passed to his son, but in 1937 he was sentenced to 10 years in camps, and soon a decree was issued to liquidate the museum within 10 days. Fortunately, the estate in the Tula region was preserved.