open art museum
Museum of Swiss naive art, art brut and outsider art in a former warehouse on Davidstrasse in St. Gallen, founded in 1988 by collector couples.
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About the museum
The museum goes back to an initiative by three collector couples who founded a foundation for Swiss naive art and art brut in 1988. In March 1988 the collection of around 200 works was first presented to the public, and the first exhibition followed a few weeks later. For a long time the house was known as “Museum im Lagerhaus”; in 1994 it moved to its current address on Davidstrasse, again into a former warehouse.
For two decades the museum was run on a voluntary basis by its founders Simone and Peter Schaufelberger-Breguet, who steadily expanded the collection. In 2008, with Monika Jagfeld as artistic director, professional operation began. After a process to sharpen its profile, the museum was given its present name, “open art museum”, in January 2023.
The collection preserves and shows works of Swiss naive art, art brut and outsider art, created by artists both deceased and living. Works from the borderlands of art and by self-taught artists, who themselves often stand between different worlds, are also included. In the foyer, the “open space”, artists from the region are also given room for their own exhibitions.
Highlights
- Swiss naive art, art brut and outsider art
- Museum in a former warehouse on Davidstrasse
- Händy: free museum game for children and families
- “open space” gallery in the foyer for artists from the region
- Free admission for children and young people up to 18
- Founded
- 1988
- Operated by
- Stiftung für schweizerische Naive Kunst und Art Brut
- Director
- Monika Jagfeld
Admission & discounts
| Adults | CHF 9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | CHF 6AHV (old-age pension), IV (disability insurance), apprentices, pupils, students, KulturLegi, artcard (with ID) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to 18 years have free admission |
| Seniors | CHF 6AHV with ID |
| Visitors with disabilities | CHF 6companion free · IV with ID |
| Students & apprentices | CHF 6Apprentices, pupils and students with ID |
| Groups | CHF 6 per personGroup rate per person |
| Group tour (up to 25 people, during opening hours) | CHF 150flat fee, plus CHF 6 group admission per person |
| Group tour (up to 25 people, outside opening hours and at weekends) | CHF 200flat fee, plus CHF 6 group admission per person |
| Group workshop (up to 25 people) | CHF 250flat fee, plus CHF 6 group admission per person |
Free admission, among others, for school classes with teachers from the city and canton of St. Gallen, for holders of the Swiss Museum Pass and the kklick culture pass, for Raiffeisen cards (Maestro, MasterCard, VISA), for members of ICOM and VMS, and for students of art history and art academies according to the website. Accompanying persons free.
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
The main entrance has steps; step-free access is via the inner courtyard (corner of Geltenwilerstrasse/Davidstrasse) with a wide ramp to the ticket desk. A lift serves the exhibition rooms on the first floor, where the wheelchair-accessible toilet is also located. Assistance dogs are allowed in the exhibition. The website offers Easy Language and an access monitor.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
The museum game “Händy”, with questions and play ideas for children and families, is available free of charge at the ticket desk; school workshops are aimed at children from about 6 to 7 years.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
About an 8-minute walk from St. Gallen station via St. Leonhard-Strasse and Pestalozzistrasse.
By car
Parking available
Car park on Pestalozzistrasse (accessible around the clock, with wheelchair spaces); on Davidstrasse there is a disabled parking space near the main entrance.
- Accessible parking
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Book shop in the foyer; lockers and cloakroom in front of the foyer.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Up to 100 guests.
The foyer (“open space”) can be rented outside opening hours: 50 people seated, 100 without seating; with kitchen and book shop. Rental is CHF 400 for three hours, each additional hour CHF 100; cultural professionals from St. Gallen can use the space free of charge.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group tours by arrangement (up to 25 people); children’s tours and workshops for people with special needs on request. Guided tours for public schools from the city and canton of St. Gallen are free, for schools from other cantons CHF 80. |
