In 1902, the 'Stadtmuseum' was established in the former town hall in Elberfeld.
From 1914 to 1918 the museum was renamed 'Kaiser Wilhelm Museum'.
In 1929, the city of Wuppertal was formed by merging the towns of Elberfeld and Barmen.
During the Naziperiod confiscation of 'degenerate art' in 1937 and 1938, the Wuppertal collections lost over 500 works of modern art.
In 1943, much of the museum's collection was evacuated. During a bombing raid on Elberfeld, the museum building was severely damaged and the library and works of art that had not been removed were destroyed.
In 1946, the Barmer Kunstverein and the Elberfelder Museumsverein merge to form the Kunst- und Museumsverein Wuppertal.
The rebuilt exhibition halls were opened in 1950.
In 1952, Eduard von der Heydt decided to donate his collection of European art to his home town of Wuppertal.
In 1961, the museum is renamed the Von der Heydt Museum in recognition of the support of the Von der Heydt family.
In 1964, Eduard von der Heydt bequeathed his collection of European masterpieces to his home town and set up a foundation to acquire works of art.
Between 1985 and 1990 the museum building was extensively renovated and extended. The ‘new inner building’ was planned by the Cologne architects Busmann and Haberer.
In 2005, the Renate and Eberhard Robke Foundation was established, which has enabled the museum to acquire more than 40 works of contemporary art.
In 2013, the Von der Heydt-Museum gGmbH was founded, which has since been responsible for financing the exhibition.