Kunstmuseum Basel

About the museum

The roots of the Kunstmuseum Basel reach back to 1661. At that time the city acquired the Amerbach Cabinet for 9,000 Reichstaler, a private collection shaped by humanism with numerous works by Hans Holbein the Younger, and thus saved it from being sold to Amsterdam. From 1671 the cabinet was open to the public in the house "zur Mücke" – making Basel home to the oldest public art collection in the world. In the 19th century further holdings were added, in 1823 for example the Museum Faesch, and the collection moved several times.

The Hauptbau on St. Alban-Graben opened in 1936. The architects Rudolf Christ and Paul Bonatz designed it as a pure collection building in conservative modernist style. After the First World War the holdings of international modern art grew strongly, and after 1945 significant gifts and bequests from private patrons followed. In 1980 the Museum für Gegenwartskunst on St. Alban-Rheinweg became the first extension; in 2016 came the Neubau by Christ & Gantenbein, opposite the Hauptbau and connected to it underground, which Maja Oeri and the Laurenz Foundation helped to finance substantially.

Today the collection comprises over 300,000 works from eight centuries, from Holbein via Cézanne, Picasso and Sophie Taeuber-Arp to Warhol, Beuys and Rosemarie Trockel; the Kupferstichkabinett (prints and drawings) alone holds around 300,000 works on paper. The Hauptbau mainly shows the collection, the Neubau large special exhibitions and art from 1950 onwards, and the Haus Gegenwart contemporary positions. A complete renovation of the Hauptbau is planned, to begin in 2029 at the earliest and last around four years; during this time the Neubau and Gegenwart remain open.

Highlights

• Amerbach Cabinet with works by Hans Holbein the Younger – core of the world's oldest public art collection
• Art by Cézanne, Picasso, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Classical Modernism in the Hauptbau
• Contemporary art in the Haus Gegenwart and the collection from 1950 in the Neubau
• Kupferstichkabinett with around 300,000 works on paper
• Im Obersteg Collection and Basel art in the Hauptbau
• Neubau by Christ & Gantenbein with skylit galleries

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlung im Hauptbau – Basel art, art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century including Holbein, as well as Classical Modernism and European post-war modernism across several floors.
• Sammlung ab 1950 im Neubau und in der Gegenwart – Works from 1950 onwards in the Neubau, contemporary art in the Haus Gegenwart on St. Alban-Rheinweg.

Founded

1661

Operated by

Kanton Basel-Stadt (Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel)

Director

Elena Filipovic

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Collection free: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 5–6 pm, Wednesday 5–8 pm (except on public holidays) and every first Sunday of the month.

The base price of CHF 25 applies to the collection and exhibitions without a special exhibition. According to the museum, free admission applies to, among others, holders of the Museums-PASS-Musées, the Swiss Museum Pass (including the Raiffeisen card, MemberPlus only) and the Swiss Travel Pass, ICOM members, and refugees with status S, N, F or B from Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. The BaselCard gives 25% off; holders of the Bider & Tanner customer card pay the reduced rate (CHF 20 for the collection).

Accessibility

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

The exhibition rooms are wheelchair accessible. Hauptbau: The entrance next to the revolving door can be opened independently; on request the attendants will help. Neubau: door-opener button to the right of the entrance door. Gegenwart: pull the entrance door briefly, then it opens automatically. Accessible toilets in the Hauptbau (ground floor, bistro, 1st floor), in the Neubau (ground floor, 1st basement level) and in the Gegenwart (2nd floor). Several times a year there are tours for people with visual or hearing impairments, in which the collection is experienced by touch, sound or description.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Monthly children's workshops for 7- to 10-year-olds (Saturdays 2–4:30 pm in the Hauptbau, CHF 15, CHF 10 with the Familienpass), children's openings, open studio and Mitmach-Mittwoch (hands-on Wednesday, free) as well as a separate children's tour in the audio guide.

Getting there & parking

The Haus Gegenwart at St. Alban-Rheinweg 60 can be reached from the Hauptbau in about 5 minutes on foot, following the signs via St. Alban-Vorstadt and Mühlenberg.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Bistro Kunstmuseum in the Hauptbau with dining room, lounge and inner courtyard (Tuesday 9 am–7 pm, Wednesday 9 am–9 pm, Thursday–Sunday 9 am–7 pm, closed Monday). Museum shops in the Hauptbau and the Neubau, accessible without an admission ticket. Free Wi-Fi.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Available for hire are, among others, the event foyer and foyer in the Neubau, the foyer, lecture hall and Kleiner Hofumgang in the Hauptbau as well as the large inner courtyard and the bistro; with a tour or workshop on request.

Plan your visit