The museum is shaped like binoculars on a hill overlooking the town of Tobata and is a landmark of Kitakyushu.

The museum opened at the end of the economic boom of Japan when the industrial development of Kitakyushu had reached a plateau and there was a growing desire to focus on culture. As many as 120,000 people rushed to the first exhibition after it opened.

One of the old favorites still on display is “Mr. and Mrs. Manet” by Édouard Manet. It’s the last portrait he did of his wife, but the right side of the canvas has been torn off and you cannot see her face. Theorists will say that Manet was the one who tore it off-- but why would he do that? People also like to speculate about what else was drawn on that piece of canvas lost to history. Could it be that he ripped it off on purpose, to spark the audience's imagination? Whether it was Manet or not, whether it was on purpose or not, the effect on the audience is the same imaginative speculation.