In the Museum of Fine Arts, visitors with a taste for culture can get to grips with 500 years of European art history. An initiative of the people of Leipzig, the collection has been open in its new home in the city centre since the end of 2004. Art lovers can explore its four spacious, naturally lit gallery floors, which cover a wide variety of artists, periods and themes. Guided tours on request. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Now in a new home on Sachsenplatz square, the Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig is one of the oldest and foremost civil collections in Germany. It is also a vibrant centre for contemporary art.

A vibrant centre for contemporary art

A large part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts is made up of items that have been donated or bequeathed by art-loving citizens, many of whom were merchants or intellectuals. Due to their commitment, Leipzig now has a wealth of art treasures that are in a class of their own. During a guided tour of the museum visitors also find out about the families whose former collections they are admiring. The collection of paintings and sculptures covers an exhibition space of around 5,000m² across four floors. There is also an area for temporary exhibitions.

The heart of any museum are its collections. This one has well over 3,000 paintings, around 850 sculptures, a library with 60,000 volumes and more than 55,000 graphic works – ranging from the Middle Ages through to the present day and including acclaimed works by artists such as Cranach, Hals, Friedrich, Beckmann and Klinger. Dating back to 1837, the collection specialises in Old German, Italian and Dutch painting from the 17th century, 19th and 20th century German art and also prints and drawings.