Located in Beijing and opened since 1963, it is a level-1 public welfare institution funded by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.

The museum was renovated between May 2004 and January 2005, and has been given an additional area of 5,375 square metres (57,860 sq ft).

Although the museum contains collection of imperial Chinese art, its main mission is to serve as a national level art museum dedicated to displaying, collecting and researching the modern and contemporary artistic works of China.

Its collections are divided into specific categories of: In 2012, four high-profile architects — Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel and Moshe Safdie — were invited to submit designs for the new National Art Museum venue, which will be seven times larger than the current venue.

Nouvel's plans were revealed on September 18, 2014 at a press conference in Paris attended by the architect and Chinese and French politicians including Laurent Fabius, the French minister of foreign affairs and international development.