The Von der Heydt Museum owns one of the richest collections in Germany. The focus is on paintings of Dutch art of the 16th and 17th centuries, painting and graphic art of the 19th century with excellent pictures of impressionism and painting of the 20th century, whereby Expressionism is represented here with outstanding works. Over the course of more than a hundred years, this impressive collection has been created by rich foundations and donations from the citizens, as well as large acquisitions. Despite the devastating bloodletting that the museum suffered in the National Socialist action "degenerate art," the collection today comprises 3000 paintings, 400 sculptures and about 30,000 works on paper. Since its beginnings in the 19th century, the museum has been influenced by the bourgeoisie of the cities of Barmen and Elberfeld, which merged into "Wuppertal" in 1929. If the museum now has one of the richest collections in Germany, it is primarily for the Wuppertal citizens and their families Above all, the von der Heydt family of bankers from the Elberfeld region and art lovers organized in the Barmer Kunstverein acquired important works of art and donated them to "their museum".

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