The exhibition building with its roots in the Oberhausen city gallery is associated with the collection of husband and wife collectors, Peter and Irene Ludwig. The comprehensive portfolio is spread out in museums around the world. Trandscending time and space, they have collected artefacts from ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, the Baroque and Rococo periods and up to pre-Columbian art. Pieces from Africa, China and India can be found next to contemporary art and pop art. Works by Pablo Picasso are a highlight. Faience, tiles, porcelain, Islamic ceramics, furniture and crafts are as much a part of the collection as painting and sculpture masterpieces.

This extraordinary collection has been put together in Oberhausen and has taken on a new form shaped by particular perspectives. The LUDWIGGALERIE views itself as the stage for the Ludwig collection and as "Museum auf Zeit" (short-term museum) displaying new exhibits. The idea of opening dialogue between masterpieces from the great world cultures from different epochs took off in the beginning of the 1990s. Since then the wide diversity of the collection has been well illustrated by these comparisons. As part of the European Capital of Culture year, the huge show "Zu[m] Tisch!" (At the Dinner Table) again highlighted that the Ludwig collection is a high quality asset for the Ludwig Galerie.

In addition to this unique way of dealing with an art collection, the museum, which was the first gallery to open in the Ruhr area after the war in 1947, also has it own small collection. Paintings by Gerhard Richter and Conrad Felixmüllers stand out. Sculptures include a Cologne bust of the holy Ursula from the 14th century as well as small sculptures by Hermann Blumenthal. Craft pieces and curiosities were added to the collection with the acquisition of Kasimir Hagen’s collection. Graphic pieces include École de Paris works as well as expressionist sheets. Thanks to a gift from Rolf Jägers, the museum received a large collection of graphic prints from Otto Pankok. For the first time in 20 years, this collection will once again receive attention in the Capital of Culture year. The Ludwig Galerie will be showing an outstanding display of this previously unknown collection under the title "The collection O.".