When it was finally decided in 1913 to establish a dedicated museum for the art collection of the city of Düsseldorf, the collection already had a long history. It originated from the painting collection that Elector Johann Wilhelm of the Palatinate had created in 1710 together with his wife Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici.
In 1928, the northwestern building complex of the Ehrenhof, built in 1902 and redesigned by Wilhelm Kreis in 1926, was acquired as its home. Also on board: the Museum of Applied Arts and the Hetjens Museum. The transfer of the magnificent art collection of the Academy in 1932 was crucial for the development of the Museum Kunstpalast.
Overall, its collection is divided into five areas: The painting gallery with highlights such as Rubens' "Assumption of Mary" from 1616-18 and modern art with a focus on the painting of German Expressionism, as well as more recent movements like the ZERO group. Additionally, there are sculpture and applied arts, the graphic collection, and the Hentrich Glass Museum.
