This palace-house dates back to the end of the 15th century and has belonged to the Jovellanos family since then, when Juan García de Jove (1460-1525) built the first building. The house underwent two alterations, the first in the 16th century and the last in 1758 by Jovellanos' father. The latter is what gives it its current appearance. It currently has two towers on either side with a building that joins them; it has a chapel attached to it and in front of it is the square known as "Plaza de Jovellanos".
On 27 December 1983 it was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument.
The museum opened on 6 August 1971 and houses the municipal art collection that was moved from its former location in the old Jovellanos Institute.
The main purpose of the museum is according to its founding charter: "(...) in the enlightenment of society through history and art, based on a rigorous and scientific method that unites the sensitivity of taste for art with specific objectives in documentation, research, conservation, education and dissemination of its collections".
For this reason, the museum is not only a collection of works of art, but also develops other types of works, such as educational workshops, guided tours, concerts and conferences. In addition to these activities, there is also a library specialising in the illustrious illustrator, and it is also the official headquarters of the Jovellanos Forum.
Inside the museum there are two different parts. On the one hand, the rooms dedicated to this distinguished man from Gijón, in which the work and aspects of Jovellanos' life are shown. The first is a small room and the other is the bedroom. In these two rooms you can find objects and everyday objects belonging to Jovellanos.
On the other hand, the rooms show Asturian paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, works from European schools, among which the Flemish and Dutch schools stand out. On the ground floor of the museum, you can find works by Asturian artists from the 19th century, such as Dionisio Fierros Álvarez, Juan Martínez Abades, Ventura Álvarez Sala, Luis Menéndez Pidal, Nicanor Piñole, Mariano Moré and Evaristo Valle. On the first floor we find 20th century Asturian painters such as Joaquín Vaquero Palacios, Alejandro Mieres, Adolfo Bartolomé, Aurelio Suárez, Orlando Pelayo and Antonio Suárez, among others. This floor also contains the work of sculptors such as Amador Rodríguez, César Montaña, Joaquín Rubio Camín, Luis Acosta, Francisco Fresno, Pelayo Ortega, Melquiades Álvarez, Ángel Guache, Bernardo Sanjurjo and Juan Gomila, to name but a few of the most outstanding.