The Alte Pinakothek (Old Picture Gallery) is one of the most important museums in Munich. It is located in the Kunstareal, an area of the Maxvorstandt district with a maximum concentration of museums. It is one of the oldest and richest galleries in the world comprising thousands of European paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries, of which around 700 are on public display. The collections of ancient Italian, German, Dutch and Flemish paintings are among the most important in the world. The museum includes the largest collection of Dürer's works in the world.   The collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings is one of the most impressive in the world. The Rubens collection is housed in three rooms and is second only to that of the Prado Museum. The works of the Italian school range from Gothic, to the Renaissance up to the Baroque and the eighteenth century, from Giotto to Canaletto.

Core of the collection derives from William IV, Duke of Bavaria who lived in the first half of the 16th century, who brought together various paintings thanks to acquisitions and commissions to important contemporary artists, such as Duerer. In the following centuries the collection grew. A great contribution to its expansion is due to the King of Bavaria Ludwig I, a great lover of art who personally bought paintings by Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Beato Angelico, among others. His perseverance for the purchase of the Madonna Tempi by Raffaello Sanzio, which lasted twenty years, remains famous. He was also responsible for the construction of the Gallery, which became an example for museum buildings in Germany and Europe starting from its inauguration in 1836. The picture gallery was partially destroyed during the Second World War by bombing, which seriously damaged the original interior decorations , but was rebuilt and reopened to the public in the late 1950s.