The museum was founded in 1969 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life.

[3] The current museum building was designed by 2011 Driheaus Prize winner and New Classical architect Robert A. M.

[1] In addition to 574 original works of art by Rockwell, the museum also houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including photographs, fan mail, and various business documents.

In 2014, the Famous Artists School donated its archives, including process drawings by Rockwell, who was one of its founding faculty members (in 1948), to the museum.

[4] Works by Rockwell at the museum include:[5] The museum also houses the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, a national research institute dedicated to American illustration art.