The museum began its activities with an archaeological exhibition in 1899 as the Museum of Antiquities and Arts in an unfinished building on ul. Oleksandrivs'ka (str. Hrushevsky, 6). The building for the museum was designed by the prominent Kiev architect Vladislav Gorodetsky, and the funds for its construction were collected by the citizens of Kiev. The first archaeological department was formed in the museum, headed by the well-known Ukrainian archaeologist Vikentiy Hvoika.