The former orange and greenhouse - a late Baroque two-winged complex in Gera's kitchen garden - was built between 1729 and 1732 on behalf of Prince Heinrich XVIII Reuß, younger line, according to plans by the Saxon princely master builder Gottfried Heinrich Krohne.

The representative central building with ballroom was built in 1748/49. Between 1878 and 1919, the Orangery was made available to the Geraer Kunstverein for exhibitions. Today, together with the Otto Dix House, the Orangery belongs to the Gera Art Collection, which unites the two museum institutes under one administrative roof.

In addition to the extensive collection of works by Otto Dix, the Gera Art Collection is based on a considerable inventory of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures from the Middle Ages to the present day. It comprises almost 11,000 objects.

As custodian of the artistic traditions of East Thuringia, the Gera Art Collection also preserves important groups of works by the Gera painter families Reinhold and Fischer from the 19th century, the Gera circle of artists around Otto Dix from the first half of the 20th century and the estate of Bauhaus student Kurt Schmidt.

Special exhibitions are regularly held in the south wing and central pavilion of the Orangery. These include themed presentations from the museum's own collection as well as exhibitions focusing on modern art, Otto Dix and his contemporaries, art history exhibitions on the development of art in the late 20th century and current contemporary art.

In addition to the Otto Dix House, a permanent exhibition on the artist's expressive late work is presented in the north wing of the Orangery with paintings from the years 1944 to 1969.