Städtische Galerie Dresden

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The origins of the Städtische Galerie go back to the late 19th century: in 1869 the Verein für Geschichte und Topographie Dresdens (society for Dresden's history and topography) was founded, and from 1891 the city began collecting art systematically. Under Paul Ferdinand Schmidt, who headed the municipal collections from 1919 to 1923, numerous Expressionist works were added. These holdings were almost entirely lost in the Nazi campaign against "Degenerate Art" ("Entartete Kunst"); after 1945 the city's remaining art holdings were assigned to the Stadtmuseum.

In 2000 the city council decided to establish an independent art museum once again. The gallery took over the municipal art holdings and in 2005 opened its rooms on the second floor of the Landhaus on Pirnaischer Platz, built in 1770–1775 as the meeting place of the Saxon estates. It shares the building with the Stadtmuseum; both belong to the Museen der Stadt Dresden network.

The collection comprises paintings, around 1,000 sculptures, and more than 30,000 works on paper, including a large topographical collection of historical city views and about 2,000 portraits. One focus is art from the GDR and contemporary art from Dresden; in 2007 an extensive group of early works by A. R. Penck was added. The permanent exhibition leads through painting and sculpture from the early 20th century to the present, complemented by temporary exhibitions and the project space "Neue Galerie".

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition "Malerei und Plastik von 1900 bis zur Gegenwart"
• Works by Otto Dix, Hermann Glöckner, and A. R. Penck
• Early works by A. R. Penck from the Jürgen Schweinebraden collection
• Focus on art from the GDR
• Museum garden with sculptures by Dresden sculptors

Permanent exhibitions

• Malerei und Plastik von 1900 bis zur Gegenwart – A tour of Dresden art of the 20th and 21st centuries, from Otto Dix and Hermann Glöckner to A. R. Penck, with a focus on art from the GDR.

Founded

2005

Operated by

Museen der Stadt Dresden

Director

Gisbert Porstmann

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Fridays from 12:00

Tickets only at the museum ticket desk in the Landhaus, no online sales. Free admission with, among others, the Dresden-Pass and for members of the Museumsbund, ICOM, and BBK. Public guided tours an additional €3 (school/university students €2).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Automatic entrance doors, all exhibition rooms accessible by elevator, door widths at least 90 cm. Accessible parking space on Friesengasse next to the museum. Loaner wheelchairs, folding stools, and strollers at the ticket desk. Multimedia guide with videos in German Sign Language, Easy Language (Leichte Sprache), and audio description. Museum garden reachable step-free via Landhausstraße.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Book suitcase "Auf Farbensuche mit Leon" (Searching for Colors with Leon) for families with children ages 4 and up (Sat/Sun, reservation), search game "Das Landhaus unter der Lupe" free at the ticket desk, family scavenger hunt via app. Birthday parties for ages 4 to 14, holiday workshops. Strollers can be borrowed at the ticket desk, baby changing table in the accessible restroom on the first floor. Children under 7 free.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Museum café on the first floor (coffee and snack vending machines) and museum garden with sculptures; museum shop in the Landhaus. Backpacks are not allowed in the exhibitions, lockers available. Free Wi-Fi.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 150 guests.

Rooms in the Landhaus (shared with the Stadtmuseum): banquet hall on the fourth floor (300 m², about 150 people), columned hall and late Baroque staircase for standing receptions (about 150 people), museum café (50 m², up to 40 people), and museum garden. Civil wedding ceremonies in the banquet hall (room rental €200, date through the Standesamt Dresden registry office).

Plan your visit