The MdbK is one of Germany's oldest art museums and today sees itself as an inclusive, barrier-free, and anti-discrimination place for sensory (art) experiences. The museum's holdings include works spanning seven centuries, primarily from European art history. Leipzig art from the 20th and 21st centuries forms a key focus.
The extensive collection includes over 4.600 paintings, 1.800 sculptures, medals and plaques, over 5.000 photographs and over 70.000 works on paper, including Old Masters such as Frans Hals and Lucas Cranach the Younger, Romantics such as Caspar David Friedrich and Andreas Achenbach, as well as Leipzig art and art from the GDR.