Kirchner Museum Davos

About the museum

The Kirchner Museum Davos was founded in 1982 and was initially housed in the old post office building in Davos Platz. The art collector Eberhard W. Kornfeld, who had already acquired Kirchner's last home near Frauenkirch in the 1960s, played a key part in its establishment. The painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) spent his last twenty years in Davos and found the motifs for a large part of his work here, which is why the museum shows his art at the place where it was created.

On 4 September 1992 the new building by the Zurich architects Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer was opened, made possible by the family foundation Benvenuta and Kirchner's estate administrator Roman Norbert Ketterer. The simple building of glass, concrete, steel and wood lets daylight fall from the side through luminous ceilings into four exhibition halls; in 2012 the architects received the Daylight Award of the Velux Foundation for it. The non-profit private museum belongs to the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Stiftung Davos.

The collection covers all creative periods from 1904 to 1938: around 40 paintings, seven sculptures, more than 700 drawings and watercolours, over 300 prints, 160 sketchbooks, photographs and textile works, as well as a document archive and an Expressionism library. In addition there are works by Brücke artists and other representatives of Classical Modernism. Temporary exhibitions repeatedly put Kirchner in relation to contemporary art.

Highlights

• World-unique Kirchner collection: Brücke period, years of crisis and Davos work
• Award-winning museum building by Gigon/Guyer with daylight ceilings
• Paintings, sculptures, sketchbooks, photographs and textiles by the artist
• Document archive and specialist library on Expressionism
• Kirchner Box with Boby the cat for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlung Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Parts of the museum's own collection are on permanent display, with major works from the Brücke period, the years of crisis and the Swiss period as well as sketchbooks, photographs and textiles by the artist.
• Museumsarchitektur von Gigon/Guyer – The building, opened in 1992, with four exhibition cubes, daylight from the side and an access hall of exposed concrete, is a destination in its own right.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Stiftung Davos

Director

Katharina Beisiegel

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for members of the Kirchner Verein and Stifterkreis, with the Raiffeisen and Swiss Museum Pass, and for ICOM, VMS, Sotheby’s, IAA and visarte. With the “Art’n’Rail” offer there are discounted journeys and admission by public transport (RailAway). According to the website, the prices apply to the current exhibition.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

All exhibition rooms are on one level; wheelchair available to borrow, wheelchair-accessible toilet reachable by lift, seating and folding stools. A parking space directly in front of the museum is reserved for people with disabilities. For every exhibition there are texts in Easy Language and large print; tours and workshops are made inclusive on request. The museum holds the “Kultur inklusiv” label from Pro Infirmis. Assistance dogs are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

The Kirchner Box with Boby the cat can be borrowed free of charge or bought at the ticket desk, along with creative cards for little detectives. The museum offers children's studios, an art Sunday for families, holiday-pass workshops and children's birthday parties (4 to 12 children, basic flat fee CHF 250 plus cleaning and materials).

Getting there & parking

By car via the A13 to the Landquart exit, then cantonal road 28 to Davos; on the Promenade turn left after 300 m at the Kongresszentrum.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum shop; lockers for bags, rucksacks and jackets (lost key CHF 25). Food and drinks are not allowed in the exhibition halls.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Aperitif, evening reception, seminar or panel discussion in the middle of the exhibition; individual offer on request, special terms for local cultural events.

Plan your visit