Through access to art-based experiences, the Museo de Arte de Ponce pursues to promote discovery, stimulate curiosity, and foster dialogue to enhance the life of its community. It was founded by Luis A. Ferré (1904-2003), a Puerto Rican philanthropist, industrialist and governor of Puerto Rico, who started buying works of art for the Museum by first establishing The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, in 1957.

The Museum opened its doors to the public on January 3, 1959, in a colonial house in Ponce. In 1965, the building that is home today to the Museum was designed by the renowned architect Edward Durell Stone. An Annex Building was added in 2010 to expand its facilities and services to the community. The collection of the Museum consists of approximately 4,500 works of art and is renowned for its great examples of Baroque, Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian paintings as well as Puerto Rican and Latin American art. The Anton J. Konrad Conservation Center of Museo de Arte de Ponce, established in 1979, is a leader in art conservation in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1987, the Museo de Arte de Ponce has become an essential institution for the educational development and social transformation of our communities.