The museum, which opened in 1981 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,[2] was founded with the Christlieb Collection (sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs and library), donated by John and Elizabeth Christlieb of Bellevue, Nebraska.

The Christlieb Collection includes works by Albert Bierstadt, William de la Montagne Cary,[3] Robert Fletcher Gilder,[4] William Henry Jackson, Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and Olaf Wieghorst.

[5] Subsequent acquisitions and donations[2] have expanded the museum's collections with works by Lyman Byxbe,[6] Ray Ellis, John Philip Falter, Michael Forsberg, Veryl Goodnight,[7] Chuck Guildner,[8] Cliff Hollestelle,[9] Laurie Houseman-Whitehawk,[10] Keith Jacobshagen,[11] Ted Long,[12] Herb Mignery,[13] Andrew Peters,[14] Del Pettigrew,[15] Martha Pettigrew,[16] Jackson Pollock, Norman Rockwell, Grant Wood and others.

The Great Plains Art Museum is part of the Center for Great Plains Studies[1] at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The center and the museum are located at Hewit Place, 1155 Q Street, in Lincoln, Nebraska.