Otto Dix was born in 1891 in Untermhaus near Gera, the son of Franz and Louise Dix,  an ironworker and a seamstress,. Today the area is among the most beautiful in Gera. The Dix family occupied two rooms in an apartment building near the Church of St. Mary (Marienkirche). No could have known at the time that a hundred years hence Dix would be one of the most significant German artists of the 20th century. In 1991, Dix's expanded and restored birthplace was inaugurated as a museum; since then, it has housed one of the largest publicly accessible collections of his works.

The visitor finds a permanent exhibition of the artist's major works. Additionally, the historic atmosphere of working class household at the turn of the twentieth century  has been recreated through a collection of materials that gives insight into Dix's life. A program of special exhibits on regional art history and contemporary art rounds out the offerings.