In 1968, the art critic Vicent Aguilera Cerni arrived in Vilafamés during a family visit. The village and its surroundings captivated him, and he proposed to the local authorities the creation of a museum of contemporary art. The idea was well-received by the municipal corporation and its mayor, Vicente Benet.
Prior to the inauguration of the museum itself, a series of art exhibitions were held with the aim of spreading the idea of its creation among artists and assessing their acceptance of the proposal. The initial premises were that the artists had to be residents of Vilafamés or have a connection to the town, and that the museum would be enriched through temporary loans or donations of artworks, rather than purchases by the museum institution.
Many artists have acquired homes in Vilafamés, including Vicente Aguilera himself, Joaquín Michavila, Juan Daniel Domínguez "Progreso", Gabriel Cantalapiedra, José Palanca, Agustín de Celis y Miranda d'Amico, José Agost, Manuel Menán, Uiso Alemany, Juan Reus, Francisco Lozano, Manuel Viola, Lorenzo Frechilla, Isabel Vilar y Eduardo Sanz, Teresa Eguibar, Manolo Salmanca, Roberta Matheu, Julio Salvatierra, Manolo Safont, Beatriz Buttmann, Nassio Bayarri, Vicent Varella, and many others.
The restoration work on the houses purchased by the artists served as the economic development engine for the town during the early decades, while also being crucial for the preservation of the historic ensemble. This ensemble was declared a Cultural Heritage Site by Decree 8/2005 of April 22nd (published in DOGV number 4993 on April 26th, 2005 and in BOE number 202 on August 24th, 2005).
