Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Q: What is the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister's most famous painting?

Raphael's Sistine Madonna (1512) is the undisputed star. The two cherubs at the bottom of that painting are among the most reproduced images in art history. Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter is another highlight.

Q: What art movements does the museum cover?

Italian Renaissance, Northern Baroque, and Dutch Golden Age painting. Jacob van Ruisdael's Jewish Cemetery is a key Dutch landscape. Cranach, Holbein, and Dürer represent the German tradition.

Q: Where is the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister?

Inside the Zwinger Palace in central Dresden. The Semper Gallery wing houses the paintings. Augustus III of Saxony built the collection in the 18th century. Raphael's Sistine Madonna has its own room at the end of the Italian galleries.

Q: How did the collection survive World War II?

The paintings were hidden in tunnels and mines before the 1945 bombing of Dresden. Soviet troops found them and took them to Moscow. They were returned to Dresden in 1955. Ruisdael's somber landscapes survived the journey intact.

Q: What makes the Vermeer here special?

Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window was recently restored, revealing a large Cupid painting on the wall that had been overpainted for centuries. This changed how scholars interpret the work. The Dutch Golden Age galleries surround it.

Dresden, Germany

Buy Tickets

Visitor Information

Museum Address

Theaterplatz 1, 01067 Dresden, Germany

Dresden, Germany

Ticket Prices

€14-16 (under 17 free)

Official Website →

Featured Artists

9 artists in database

1Canaletto5 works 2Johannes Vermeer2 works 3Parmigianino1 work 4Frans Hals1 work 5Raphael1 work

The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden ranks among Europe's most prestigious Old Master collections, built largely through the ambitions of two art-loving rulers. Augustus II "the Strong" and his son Frederick Augustus II transformed Saxony's modest art holdings into a world-class collection between 1694 and 1763. In 1754, Frederick Augustus paid a record sum to acquire Raphael's Sistine Madonna from a church in Piacenza. The king reportedly moved his throne to better view the painting when it arrived.

The gallery's current home in the Semper Gallery wing of the Zwinger palace opened in 1855, designed by architect Gottfried Semper. Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window and The Procuress represent Dutch mastery, while Canaletto's views of Venice and Dresden fill an entire gallery. The museum holds the world's largest collection of paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Younger, totaling 58 works. World War II bombing devastated the building in 1945, and Soviet troops transported the surviving paintings to Moscow and Kiev. The collection returned in 1955, and extensive renovations completed in 2020 restored the galleries to their former grandeur.

Visiting Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Raphael's Sistine Madonna (1512) is the undisputed star. The two cherubs at the bottom of that painting are among the most reproduced images in art history. Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter is another highlight.

Italian Renaissance, Northern Baroque, and Dutch Golden Age painting. Jacob van Ruisdael's Jewish Cemetery is a key Dutch landscape. Cranach, Holbein, and Dürer represent the German tradition.

Inside the Zwinger Palace in central Dresden. The Semper Gallery wing houses the paintings. Augustus III of Saxony built the collection in the 18th century. Raphael's Sistine Madonna has its own room at the end of the Italian galleries.

The paintings were hidden in tunnels and mines before the 1945 bombing of Dresden. Soviet troops found them and took them to Moscow. They were returned to Dresden in 1955. Ruisdael's somber landscapes survived the journey intact.

Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window was recently restored, revealing a large Cupid painting on the wall that had been overpainted for centuries. This changed how scholars interpret the work. The Dutch Golden Age galleries surround it.

Other Museums in Dresden

Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden

2 artworks

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden

1 artworks

Can't Make It to Dresden?

Bring luxury art into your home with gallery-worthy canvas prints.

Browse Our Collection

Please note: Artwork locations and display status may change. Some paintings may be on loan, in restoration, or moved to different galleries within the museum. We recommend contacting Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden directly to confirm specific artwork availability before your visit.

Affiliate disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links to ticket providers. If you purchase tickets through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support Masterpiece Locator. See our Terms of Use for details.