April 23, 2026 – February 6, 2028
Bilderkosmos #3. Leipzig im Dialog
Cross-media presentation of 20th- and 21st-century art on the third floor – from Max Beckmann and art from the GDR to contemporary art from Leipzig and around the world.
Museum der bildenden Künste
Leipzig's municipal art museum in a glass cube: painting, sculpture and graphic art from the late Middle Ages to the present – free admission to the permanent exhibition.
Opening hoursAdmission from €12 Wheelchair accessible Café
Current exhibitions
May 28, 2025 – February 6, 2028
Rosa Barba. Under the Canopy
Large-scale installation on the big terrace on the 2nd floor in which colored glass in a second ceiling concentrates the daylight, making space and time tangible.
October 30, 2025 – July 4, 2027
Sichtbarmachen – Spuren jüdischen Engagements im MdbK
Together with artist Shlomit Lehavi and writer Sharon Adler, the museum traces the suppressed relationships of Jewish Leipzigers with the MdbK and its collection.
March 29, 2026 – July 4, 2027
Roxana Rios. Ode to Eris
Photographic and performative reinterpretations of works in the permanent exhibition question inherited visual patterns such as gender stereotypes – as facade banners and interventions along the tour route.
July 3, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Grafik im Fokus: Der Sammler Johann August Otto Gehler #3
Third selection from the drawing collection of the Leipzig lawyer Gehler, which forms the core of the Old Masters in the Graphische Sammlung (prints and drawings collection).
September 3, 2026 – September 5, 2027
Sylvie Fleury. First Spaceship on Venus
On a terrace on the 2nd floor, the Swiss artist shows rocket sculptures from her series begun in the 1990s, whose title refers to a DEFA science fiction film.
September 30, 2026 – January 31, 2027
Vier Wände voller Kunst. Jüdische Familien und ihre Sammlungen in Leipzig
First exhibition on the contribution of Jewish collector families to the visual arts in Leipzig, whose commitment largely vanished from memory as a result of Nazi persecution.
October 8, 2026 – November 8, 2026
Mailand / Innenhof. re:miserere
Video installation by the artist duo that transposes the “Miserere” from Verdi's “Il trovatore” into the present.
November 26, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Grafik im Fokus: Maximilian Speck von Sternburg #1
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Speck von Sternburg Stiftung, the museum shows a selection of drawings from the collection of the Leipzig merchant and co-founder of the museum.
April 8, 2027 – August 22, 2027
Wolfgang Mattheuer. Drinnen, Draußen und Ich
For the 100th birthday of the Leipzig painter, a cross-media show with paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from the 1960s to the 1990s, in cooperation with the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz.
About the museum
The museum owes its existence to the commitment of Leipzig's citizens: the Leipziger Kunstverein (Leipzig Art Association), founded in 1837, systematically assembled works of art, and its founders included the collector Maximilian Speck von Sternburg. In 1848 the collection opened to the public as the Städtisches Museum (Municipal Museum) in the Erste Bürgerschule, and in 1858 it moved into a new building on Augustusplatz made possible by the bequest of the merchant Adolf Heinrich Schletter. Funds from Dominic Grassi allowed the building to be extended by two wings in 1886.
Sales in the 1920s, the confiscations of the “Degenerate Art” campaign in 1937 and wartime losses hit the collection hard; in 1943 a bombing raid destroyed the museum building. From 1952 to 1997 the museum was housed provisionally in the former Reichsgericht (Imperial Court of Justice).
In 1996 the city council decided on a new building on Sachsenplatz. On December 4, 2004, exactly 61 years after the old building was destroyed, the 36-meter-high glass cube by the Berlin architects Hufnagel, Pütz and Rafaelian opened; its open courtyards and terraces take up the motif of Leipzig's shopping arcades.
With more than 4,600 paintings, around 1,800 sculptures, more than 5,000 photographs and over 70,000 works on paper, the MdbK is one of Germany's most extensive art collections. Its focal points are 17th-century Dutch painting, works by both Cranachs, German Romanticism, Max Klinger and Max Beckmann, as well as art from Leipzig and the GDR. Since 2024, admission to the permanent exhibition has been free.
Highlights
- Caspar David Friedrich: “Die Lebensstufen” (The Stages of Life)
- Frans Hals: “Peeckelhaering” (The Merry Drinker)
- Rogier van der Weyden: “Heimsuchung” (The Visitation) (Maximilian Speck von Sternburg Stiftung)
- Around 70 works by Max Klinger, including his Beethoven
- Max Beckmann gallery
- 18 paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Younger
Permanent exhibitions
- Sammlungspräsentation: Kunst vom 15. bis 19. Jahrhundert – Free permanent exhibition on the first and second floors with Old Masters, Dutch painting, Cranach, Romanticism and 19th-century art up to Max Klinger.
- Founded
- 1848
- Operated by
- Stadt Leipzig
- Director
- Dr. Stefan Weppelmann
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €12 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6School students and trainees aged 20 and over, university students, holders of the Leipzig-Card, Leipzig-Pass, the volunteer pass of the Freiwilligen-Agentur Leipzig and the Sächsische Ehrenamtskarte (Saxon volunteer card), federal volunteer service and military service participants, people with severe disabilities (degree of disability 50 or higher) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people are admitted free until their 19th birthday, including to the special exhibitions. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6Reduced rate for people with severe disabilities from a degree of disability of 50; no information on companions. |
| Students & apprentices | €6Reduced price for university students as well as school students and trainees aged 20 and over. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €9 per personGroup rate from 10 people (group ticket to be paid by one person); registration required for groups of 5 or more. Guided tour (90 min, max. 20 people, German/English) €90 plus admission. |
| Families | –No family ticket; children and young people up to 18 free. |
The permanent exhibition (art from the 15th to the 19th century) has been free since January 1, 2024; the prices apply to the special exhibitions (including “Bilderkosmos #3”). Evening ticket from 1 hour before closing at 50% of the regular price. On the first Wednesday of the month, all special exhibitions for €3. Annual pass €45 / reduced €22.50.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
The entrances on Katharinenstraße and Böttchergäßchen and all exhibition and service areas are step-free or reachable by elevator; automatic doors with contrast markings. Accessible restrooms in the basement and in the museum café. Two accessible parking spaces in front of the main entrance on Katharinenstraße. Loaner wheelchair (reservation recommended) and portable stools. Guidance system with tactile reliefs and Braille in the stairwells, but no floor guidance system. Inclusive stations, MdbK [hubs], with tactile reliefs, audio texts in Easy Language and German Sign Language videos. Tours with sign language interpreting, art talks for blind and sighted people and for people with dementia. Floor plan available as an audio flyer.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Playground / play area
Free pocket tour (card set, clipboard, materials) to borrow at the ticket desk. “emdebeka” workshops on Sundays for children from age 4 or from age 7, Open Studio from age 12, monthly creative activity “blaumachen.” Play, drawing and reading corner MdbK [Platz] on the studio terrace on the 2nd floor.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Markt
S-Bahn station Markt (all S-Bahn lines); tram to Goerdelerring, Hauptbahnhof or Augustusplatz; Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is a few minutes' walk away
By car
Parking available
No parking of its own; parking garages Höfe am Brühl (Am Hallischen Tor 2), Am Museumswinkel (Reichsstraße 19), Augustusplatz (Augustusplatz 15) and Marktgalerie (Thomaskirchhof 18). Two free accessible parking spaces in front of the main entrance on Katharinenstraße. Tour buses: parking on the east side of the Hauptbahnhof, drop-off on Goethestraße.
- Accessible parking
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
Museum café MOKAAWE (opened September 24, 2026) with specialty coffee, food and wine in the evenings. Museum shop; a new shop operator is being sought for 2027. Accessible cloakroom, lockers with a deposit (€1/€2); bags larger than A5 must be checked; no lockers for suitcases. Wi-Fi throughout the building.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The museum has a contact person for fundraising and rentals; rooms, capacities and terms are not published on the website.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Generally allowed free of charge for private purposes without flash or tripod; exceptions are marked |
