Located in Nyanza District about 85km from Kigali City, the construction of the building started in 1957 and completed in 1959 as a Palace for King Mutara III Rudahigwa but he passed away before occupying it.

In May 2006 the building was transformed into a National Art Gallery until May 2018 when a new Museum of Art was opened up in the former state house located in Kanombe. For the moment, a new exhibition focusing on “ Home grown solutions”https://www.museum.gov.rw/ as one of strategies and solutions used by the country for economic development and peace building aftermath of 1994 Genocide against Tutsis is under preparation.

Meanwhile, the museum still open to the public with exhibition photos on daily life and history of Africans among them we have Nigerians, Ugandans and Rwandans.