The Ashdod Museum of Art opened in 2003 and has been serving as a museum of contemporary art ever since. It hosts about three rotating exhibitions each year. In recent years, the museum has established its identity as one characterized by a constant examination of issues related to local identity. These issues are examined against the backdrop of the unique character of the city of Ashdod – the first Israeli city planned and established after the establishment of the state – as a Mediterranean, multi-identity, and multicultural city of immigrants. The move was woven into a number of exhibitions presented at the museum that sought to uncover and examine the sensitive nerve centers of contemporary Israeli culture.

The exhibitions at the museum present contemporary artists alongside older artists, Israeli and international, while combining diverse media fields such as painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and video art. The museum is located in Kiryat Hatarbut as part of the Monart Arts Center and is located on the top floor of the center. Its exterior hallmark is a pyramid-shaped glass roof that rises above it.