The origin of the museums is the collection of the Saxon electors and Polish kings. Historical sources document the founding of the princely Kunstkammer in the Residenzschloss by Elector Augustus in 1560. Augustus the Strong and his son King Augustus III were important patrons and remarkable connoisseurs of art. Their systematically laid out art cabinets, which were made accessible to selected circles even then, form the core of the wonderful collections. They present their treasures in various locations, some of which are world-famous, elaborately reconstructed historical buildings: The Green Vault, the Kupferstich-Kabinett, the Münzkabinett and the Rüstkammer in the Dresden Residenzschloss, the Porzellansammlung, the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon and the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in the Semperbau at the Zwinger, the sculpture collection with exhibitions in the Semperbau am Zwinger and as part of the presentation of art from the Romantic period to the present day in the Albertinum, the Museum of Saxon Folk Art in the Jägerhof and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Pillnitz and, last but not least, the GRASSI Museum of Ethnology in Leipzig, the Museum of Ethnology Dresden and the Ethnological Museum Herrnhut. In 2024, the archive of 20th century avant-gardes opened its doors in the Blockhaus on Neustädter Ufer. In the same year, the puppet theater collection moved to the Kraftwerk Mitte with a permanent presentation. Thanks to the tireless collecting activities over the centuries, visitors from all over the world now have the opportunity to admire an impressive variety of art treasures. The Dresden State Art Collections remain committed to preserving traditions, developing new visions and actively shaping the future.