The museum opened in November 2016 on the occasion of the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was held in that city, and it was officially inaugurated in February 2018.

[1][3][4] MACAAL is located to the southeast of Marrakesh, near the Sidi Youssef Ben Ali [fr] neighborhood and next to the Al Maaden Golf Resort, which is also owned by the Lazraq family.

[5] After closing in the spring of 2023 and undergoing that year's Al Haouz earthquake, the building underwent structural evaluations and significant renovations to include eight exhibition spaces over two floors, seven of which are dedicated to the museum's permanent collection.

[3] The Lazarac and Alliances Foundation collection comprises more than 2,000 works of modern and contemporary art from Morocco and across Africa, described as "one of the most comprehensive private holdings on the continent.

"[3][4] It is primarily composed of paintings, but it also includes works on paper and in other mediums, such as photography, sculpture, textile, installation, and video.