Bottrop-born Josef Albers (1888–1976) was a painter of abstract works that combine bold use of colour with geometric forms. A member of the Bauhaus school, he emigrated to the US after its forced closure by the Nazis in 1933. A highlight in this suitably minimalist museum space are examples from Albers' key series Homage to the Square, as well as early lithographs from the Bottrop period.
Exhibits on local prehistory and history are on the same site, which is about 3km north of the Hauptbahnhof.