The exposition was instituted by Pope Pius XI; its success led to the creation of the Missionary Ethnological Museum (Pontifico Museo Missionario-Etnologico) at Lateran Palace.

100,000 objects had been sent from around the globe for the exposition, 40,000 were chosen by a commission led by Schmidt; this formed the nucleus of the original collection.

In these showcases, over the course of time, thousands of works coming from every part of the world will find space, and this kind of installation is meant to place them effectively in dialogue among themselves.

"[4] The earliest objects to have entered the collection are Pre-Columbian era artefacts sent as gifts to Pope Innocent XII in 1692.

[3] The collection ranges from prehistoric artefacts over two million years old to objects from African, Native American, Islamic, Oceania and Australia, and pre-Columbian civilisations.