From the 15th to the 17th century, diplomatic gifts, mementoes and curiosa owned by the Dukes of Burgundy and subsequently the Habsburg archdukes were displayed in the Royal Arsenal, a large hall in the vicinity of the Palace of Coudenberg.

When the Halle Gate became too small to hold the continually expanding number of items, the decision was taken to split the collections, and in 1889, under the new head curator, Eugène Van Overloop, the objects from classical antiquity were moved to the Cinquantenaire Palace, which had been built on the initiative of King Leopold II.

In 1925, Eugène Van Overloop was succeeded by the Egyptologist Jean Capart, during whose term of office the museums became a leading scientific institution.

The work was expertly led by Count Charles de Borchgrave d'Altena, head curator from 1951 to 1963, and by his immediate successor Pierre Gilbert.

Their successors as head curator have continued the work of reorganisation and renovation and since the mid-1980s have seen some eighty big, temporary exhibitions organised, adding to the institution's dynamism.