The Didrichsen Art Museum collections are not on permanent display inside the museum. The focus on the activities is on changing exhibitions, with themes connecting to the collections or the museum history. However, selected works from the collections are displayed alongside the exhibitions. In addition, some 15 sculptures are on permanent display outside in the sculpture park. 

 

The collection of around one thousand artworks in the Didrichsen Art Museum is a result of active collecting during several decades. The majority of the works have been acquired by museum founders Gunnar and Marie-Louise Didrichsen for their personal enjoyment. They started collecting in the 1940s and the choices reflect their artistic tastes, which is evident even today in the exhibition programme. After the founders passed away, most of the new acquisitions have been made from exhibitions organised at the museum.

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In the beginning, the emphasis on acquisitions were on Finnish visual arts from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. From 1960s onwards the couple´s interest towards Finnish and international modernism increased. In addition to visual arts the collections consist of artefacts from ancient cultures. The museum holds for example the only Pre-Columbian collection in Finland, with unique items from Mexico, Central America and the Andes.