Since its opening in 1984, the museum has collected works centered on (1) modern Japanese-style painting, with a focus on Nihon Bijutsu-in (the Japan Art Institute), (2) arts and crafts related to Shiga Prefecture, and (3) postwar American and Japanese contemporary art. From 2016 onward it added to its collection policy (4) Art Brut, and from 2021, (5) works that represent diversity in the arts and culture, presenting and preserving a broader spectrum of art. Prominent works in the collection include Celebrated Places of Omi (an Important Cultural Property), the Japanese-style paintings of Ogura Yuki, the textiles of Shimura Fukumi, American art by Mark Rothko and others, and the works of Sawada Shinichi and other Art Brut creators.