The building is a faithful recreation of the original Mitsubishi Ichigokan which stood on the same location.

Originally completed in 1894 and designed by British architect Josiah Conder, the building was torn down in 1968.

The museum includes approximately 800 square metres (8,600 sq ft) of exhibition space, spread over 20 rooms, throughout the building's 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft) floorplan.

Included in the museum's own artwork is the Maurice Joyant collection, a group of over 200 works by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

The theme of the opening exhibition will be "Manet and Modern Paris", in cooperation with Musée d'Orsay.