In March 1964, the City Council of Turku approved the proposal to establish a museum dedicated to Wäinö Aaltonen, and Aaltonen himself signed an agreement donating a basic collection to the proposed museum.

The exhibition rooms of WAM have been designed to meet modern requirements.

The architecture of the rooms is clean and well-lit with wide windows and numerous skylights.

The number of acquisitions varies but, during the 21st century, approximately 60 new works of art have been acquired annually.

Art acquisitions and donations are decided on by the Museum Director and the Curator responsible for the collection with approval by the Cultural Board.