The Picture Gallery had its origins in the 16th and 17th centuries and by the end of the 18th century already existed for the most part in its present form.

Great collectors of the House of Habsburg, such as Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595), Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614–1662), determined in a decisive and lasting manner the character of the collection. But it was not until the 18th century that the various holdings were brought together and displayed in Vienna’s Stallburg. In 1781 the paintings were moved to the Belvedere Palace. The innovative, systematic presentation there is considered an important moment in the history of the modern art museum. Ever since that time the Picture Gallery has been open to the public. In 1891 the Picture Gallery along with the other imperial collections were finally moved into the recently completed Kunsthistorisches Museum on Vienna’s Ringstrasse.