The Modern Art Museum of Yerevan which was the first in the area of former the Soviet Union was opened in 1972 by Henrik Igityan․ It is located on Mashtots Avenue in the central part of Yerevan. The first exhibition of the museum was the collection of 60’s painters.The first exposition consisted of works from the 1960s, created by artists who were from Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora.

Many famous artists have visited the museum, including the director of the Hermitage Museum Boris Piotrovsky, Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, writer Chingiz Aytmatov, Mexican painter David Alfaro Siqueiros, Italian poet-writer and screenwriter Tonino Guerra, Italian artist Renato Guttuso, William Saroyan, Aghasi Ayvazian and Tigran Mansuryan.

Many artists donated their works to this modern museum. The main exhibits of the museum are the works of Minas Avetisyan, Martin Petrosyan, Hakob Hakboyan, Harutyun Lakents, Rudolph Khachatryan, Vruyr Galstyan, Gayane Khachatryan, Ashot Hovhannisyan and many others.

Nowadays in the museum, you can see the modern art exhibitions of talented painters like Sargis Hamalbashian, Arthur and Ararat Sargsians, Marine Dilanian, Albert Hakobian, Samvel Baghdasarian, Arevik Arevshatyan, Ruben Grigorian and many others.

Recently, the museum has added works of many modern Armenian and international artists including Taline Zabounian (France), Ziba Afshar (USA),Garry John (USA), Sam Grigoryan (Germany), Michael Gorman (USA), Harutyun Jinanyan "Jino" (Russia), Vatche Demirdjian (France), Lorent Nissou Soon (France), Christine Hagopian (France), Dibasar (France), Sharis Garabedian (France), Sebastiano (USA), , Karen Bistedt and Chris Brown (USA), Haik Mesropian (Switzerland), and Onik Atamyan (England).

In 2004 an American philanthropist Grigor Mouradian presented to the museum paintings and sculpture by Emil Kazaz, and in 2010 Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine bought for the museum sculptures by Garen Bedrossian from Canada. These artists have a great reputation not only in Armenia but also in abroad, where they are often invited for solo exhibitions.