美术馆原为中央美术学院陈列馆，建立于60年代初期，位于王府井大街中央美术学院旧址。并在新校址设立临时展厅。主要服务于学院各类教学活动，每年定期举办在校生成绩展、本科生与研究生毕业作品展、教师作品展等，除了各类教学展览之外还举办各类馆藏展、国内外美术交流展等，成为北京地区重要美术展馆之一。除了展示功能之外，几十年来形成了丰富、系统的馆藏，主要包括：中国古代书画、近现代中国书画、民间美术、中外油画、版画、雕塑以及部分中国古代壁画临本等，建院以来历届学生的优秀作品展更是收藏的重点，这些藏品体现了独特的学术价值，并反映了美术教育进程的特色。

The Art Museum of CAFA

Located in the old campus of CAFA at Wang Fujing Street in downtown Beijing, and set up in the early 1960s, the Art Museum used to be the Display Room. The Art Museum serves the teaching of the academy, each year fixed exhibitions on works of students under study, works by undergraduate and graduate students and teachers' works are held, besides which exhibitions of collections, exhibitions of domestic and interna- tional art exchanges and others are also held. The museum has become one of the important art museums of Beijing.
Besides display functions, over the years a rich and system-atic collection has been accumuiated including ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy, modern Chinese paintings and calligraphy, folk arts, Chinese and foreign oil paintings, prints, scuiptures and some copyworks of ancient Chinese mural paintings. The Fine works of the students of the academy are the focus of its coliections, which has displayed a unique academic value and the character of reflecting the process of art education.
The Art Museum has set up temporary Exhibition Space in the New Campus.