The museum was founded in 1996. It is located on the first floor of a nine-story residential building. The exhibition area is 407.8 square meters. The permanent exhibition occupies 72 square meters, the temporary exhibition — 335.8 square meters, the collection room — 33.6 square meters.
The gallery continues to develop as a museum of modern art and collects works by Russian artists of the second half of the 20th — beginning of the 21st centuries. The collection is based around the works of Kostroma artists of various styles. Their names include: Alexander Vasilyevich Ahanov, Pavel Alexandrovich Belyaev, Natalia Ivanovna Buldakova, Tatyana Yuryevna Vinogradova, Vladislav Mikhailovich Grachev, Anatoly Viktorovich Zhukov, Nikolay Vasilyevich Shuvalov and others.
In 2003, the museum’s collection was replenished by the legacy of the Kostroma artist Vladimir Vasilyevich Smirnov (1948–2003). It consists of sculptures, drawings and diaries. The collection of his works includes more than 600 exhibits.
