Basel

Cultural Institutions

Basel is home to 37 museums, an extraordinary number for a city of its size. In addition to its world-famous institutions, major public artworks include Richard Serra’s monumental sculpture Intersection and Jean Tinguely’s whimsical fountain, a collection of fanciful, water-shooting&nbsp;sculptures.&nbsp;
For a listing of current exhibitions and museum events, please visit <a href="https://www.museenbasel.ch/museen/en/agenda.html">museenbasel.ch</a>.
Institutions marked with a * offer&nbsp;complimentary admission for recipients of Art Basel First Choice and Preview Card.

title_style_3

The Basel Museum of Ancient Art is the only Swiss museum devoted exclusively to the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean region. The permanent exhibition contains ancient art mainly from Egyptian, Greek, Italic, Etruscan and Roman cultures. Located in the heart of the city of Basel, the museum is a place where the ancient world is regularly cast in a new light.
On view during the fair
‘Egypt. 3,000 years of culture on the Nile’, permanent collection
The Antikenmuseum Basel has the richest and most diverse collection of Egyptian art in Switzerland. The newly designed show uses the latest exhibition technology to take visitors into the mysterious land of the pharaohs in six themed areas.

Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig

The Cartoonmuseum Basel is the only museum and centre of excellence in Switzerland devoted exclusively to narrative art. By collecting, presenting and mediating, the museum contributes to the debate surrounding this art form and the social issues that it addresses.
On view during the fair 
‘Richard McGuire. Then and There, Here and Now’ From June 8 to November 3, 2024

Cartoon Museum Basel - Centre for Narrative Art*

The Fondation Beyeler is a museum of modern and contemporary art open 365 days a year. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful museums. Its exhibitions of renowned artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have brought the museum international recognition and established it as one of the most popular art museums in Switzerland.
On view during the fair
'Summer Show' From May 19 to August 11, 2024 
Complimentary admission for First Choice cardholders only.

Fondation Beyeler*

Since 2011, HEK (House of Electronic Arts) in Basel has been the Swiss competence center and museum for contemporary media art and digital cultures. It presents art that utilizes new technologies and addresses the engagement with technological and digital developments. Additionally, the HEK is committed to the collection and preservation of digital art, building a corresponding collection of software and web-based art.
On view during the fair
‘Virtual Beauty’ From June 8 to August 18, 2024 Opening: June 7, 2024, 7 pm Art Basel reception: June 11, 2024, 8 pm

HEK (House of Electronic Arts)*

The Basel Historical Museum with its three sites is widely regarded as the most important museum of cultural history on the Upper Rhine. It collects, conserves, records and researches objects and artefacts of relevance to our cultural heritage for future generations, tells visitors the story of Basel, and is a place for discourse and engagement with both present and future.
On view during the fair
‘Rausch – Extase – Rush’,&nbsp;Barfüsserkirche Until June 30, 2024

Basel Historical Museum

Kaserne Basel is one of the most important venues for the independent contemporary theatre, dance, performance and popular music scene in Switzerland.

Kaserne Basel*

The Kunsthaus Baselland is among the leading exhibition venues for regional, national and international contemporary art in the Basel region. Over the last 25 years, the institution has offered artists a platform for artistic exchange in the framework of solo, group or thematic exhibitions. Numerous artists have had their first institutional showing in Switzerland or in Europe here.
On view during the fair
‘Rewilding’ (group show) Opening exhibition of the new Kunsthaus Baselland From April 13 to August 18, 2024

Kunsthaus Baselland*

Since its founding in 1872, Kunsthalle Basel has been a place where contemporary art is exhibited, discussed, and reflected upon, and is known for its deep commitment to emerging artists. With up to eight exhibitions annually, including new productions and accompanying events such as artist talks and performances, it provides a space for the contemplation and discussion of contemporary art.
On view during the fair 
‘Ghislaine Leung: Commitments’ From May 17 to August 18, 2024
‘Toyin Ojih Odutola: Ilé Oriaku’ From June 7 to September 1, 2024 
‘Nolan Oswald Dennis: a recurse 4 [3] worlds’ From October 10, 2023 to August 11, 2024

Kunsthalle Basel*

The Kunstmuseum Basel is one of the world’s best-known museums and invites you on a journey through art history from the 15th century to the present day at three locations. Its prestigious collection – the first ever publicly accessible art collection – and internationally acclaimed exhibitions provide unforgettable art experiences.
On view during the fair
‘Dan Flavin: Dedications in Lights’ From March 2 to August 18, 2024
‘When We See Us:&nbsp;A Century of Black Figuration in Painting’ From May 25 to October 27, 202
‘Ingenious Women: Women Artists and their Companions’ From March 2 to June 30, 2024

Kunstmuseum Basel*

Based on Tinguely’s imaginative universe, Museum Tinguely proposes a diverse programme that always seeks topical dialogue with other artists and artforms, offering an interactive experience that appeals to all of the senses. Museum Tinguely is located on the banks of the Rhine in Basel. Opened in 1996, it was designed by Ticino architect Mario Botta and houses the world’s largest collection of works by the fascinating Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), a key pioneer of international post-war art.
On view during the fair
‘Mika Rottenberg: Antimatter Factory’ From June 5 to November 3, 2024
‘La roue = c’est tout’ Permanent exhibition

Museum Tinguely*

The Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel currently contains one of the largest and most significant collections relating to the history of pharmacy. The museum holds a scientific collection from the 1920s, which has been conserved until today. Highlights include apothecaries’ shops, historic medicaments, laboratory equipment, a complete alchemist’s laboratory, microscopes and a famous collection of pharmacy ceramics (15th to 19th centuries). The house ‘Zum vorderen Sessel’ is a historic location where famous men such as Erasmus of Rotterdam and Paracelsus were frequent visitors. 
On view during the fair
‘History of Pharmacy’ Permanent exhibition

Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel

Schaulager was founded in 2003 with the aim of combining the storage and display of contemporary art. As a research institution, storage facility and venue for exhibitions and events in one, it provides specialists with unique research opportunities and a platform for dialogue and exchange. In addition, Schaulager initiates exhibitions and projects to make contemporary art accessible to the general public. The operation of Schaulager is underwritten and overseen by the Laurenz Foundation.
The next project open to the public will be an installation by Steve McQueen, British artist, film director, producer, and screenwriter in June 2025.

Schaulager

The Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel (Toy Worlds Museum Basel) houses the largest collection of historical teddy bears, grocery shops, dolls, and contemporary miniatures. Visitors of all ages are welcome to join in, marvel, and experience our changing special exhibitions first-hand.
On view during the fair
‘Plush, Play & Pioneers - Women in toy design’ From March 8 to October&nbsp;27, 2024

Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel

The Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein near Basel is an ensemble of production buildings, museums, contemporary architectural icons and inspiration for the home. Design enthusiasts and connoisseurs of architecture are invited to take a tour of the campus and discover buildings by some of the world’s most renowned architects and view current exhibitions at the Vitra Design Museum.
On view during the fair
Vitra Campus: 9 - 16 June, 2024 Open daily, 10 am - 6 pm
VitraHaus:&nbsp;‘New VitraHaus Loft by Sabine Marcelis’ 
Vitra Design Museum: ‘Transform! Designing the Future of Energy’ 
Vitra Schaudepot: ‘Science Fiction Design: From Space Age to Metaverse’

Vitra Campus

CRAC Alsace is a contemporary art center dedicated to experimentation and creation. Through exhibitions, residencies, publications, and outreach programmes, CRAC Alsace supports artistic production by promoting the encounter between artists, publics and works of art. Located in Altkirch, near Switzerland (Basel) and Germany (Freiburg-im-Breisgau), CRAC Alsace was founded by an association of artists which, at the beginning of the 1990s, took over its current premises, the former Altkirch high school, a Wilhelminian building constructed in 1889. 
On view during the fair
Julia Spínola, solo show From June 13 to September 15, 2024

Altkirch, France

CRAC Alsace — Centre Rhénan d’Art Contemporain*

Fotomuseum Winterthur is at the forefront of presenting and discussing photography and visual culture. As part of its repertoire of temporary exhibitions devoted to individual artists and group shows, the museum displays works by young photographers as well as those with an established reputation. In addition, it examines photographic phenomena in the context of new technologies and digital media, exposing them to critical scrutiny. 
<a href="https://www.fotomuseum.ch/en/exhibitions-post/der-sammlung-zugeneigt-konstellation-1/" target=""></a>Fotomuseum Winterthur is in renovation until spring 2025. The exhibition spaces at Grüzenstrasse 44 will remain closed. 
<a href="https://www.fotomuseum.ch/en/exhibitions-post/der-sammlung-zugeneigt-konstellation-1/" target=""></a>
<a href="https://www.fotomuseum.ch/en/exhibitions-post/der-sammlung-zugeneigt-konstellation-1/" target=""></a>

Winterthur, Switzerland

Fotomuseum Winterthur

In 2004, the former Fernet-Branca distillery in Saint-Louis in France, on the border with Basel, was transformed into an exhibition space for contemporary art by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. He created a 2300 m2 exhibition space, while preserving the industrial soul of the historic building from the early 20th century, where changing exhibitions and retrospectives of contemporary art are presented. The museum is managed by the Fondation Fernet-Branca since 2012. 
On view during the fair
‘Splendore – joie, joie, joie…’ From April 12 to July 7, 2024

Saint-Louis, France

Foundation Fernet-Branca*

Museum Haus Konstruktiv is the leading institution for constructivist-concrete, and conceptual art in Switzerland, and is highly regarded internationally. This art form, characterized by the accomplishments of the Zurich Concretists surrounding Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse, Camille Graeser, and Verena Loewensberg from the 1930s to 1950s, is now so essential to the landscape of modernism, that it is no longer possible to imagine this landscape without it. We have made it our task to keep this art-historical heritage alive and to link it to contemporary art.
On view during the fair
'Olaf Holzapfel' From May 30 until September 8, 2024
'Stories Written' From May 30 until September 8, 2024

Zürich, Switzerland

Haus Konstruktiv

The Helmhaus is a cultural institution run by the City of Zurich. It is housed in a historical building in the heart of the old city, where it shows four to five exhibitions per year. What makes the Helmhaus unique is that since its change of programme in 1988 and again in 2001, it has been the only art institution in Zurich to be dedicated primarily to local contemporary art. Some 100–150 artists exhibit works in all media at the Helmhaus every year.
On view during the fair
Roman Selim Khereddine
Jeannette Muñoz
From April 19 to June 16, 2024

Helmhaus

At Kunsthalle Bern, our exhibitions, events and education programmes offer opportunities for people to encounter, experience and participate in contemporary art that inspires, challenges, and transforms. Our aim is to be a leading international contemporary art institution, presenting groundbreaking exhibitions, informative and thought-provoking public programmes and events that engage our community.

Bern, Switzerland

Kunsthalle Bern

Works by Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Ferdinand Hodler and Meret Oppenheim have made the Kunstmuseum Bern an institution with an international reputation. At the present time, the constantly growing and evolving collection consists of over 4,000 paintings and sculptures as well as 50,000 drawings, prints, photographs, videos and films.&nbsp;
On view during the fair
‘Tracey Rose. Shooting Down Babylon’ Until August 11, 2024&nbsp;
‘Albert Anker. Reading Girls’ Until July 21, 2024
‘The Collection. From Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to Pablo Picasso, from Jackson Pollock to Meret Oppenheim’ Until December 31, 2024

Kunstmuseum Bern

The Kunstmuseum Luzern is one of the most important art museums in Switzerland. Focussed on current issues, open to the general public, barrier-free and inclusive, it promotes diversity and exchange. A varied programme is ensured by means of ambitious temporary exhibitions with an international flair, a judicious presentation of the collection, and first solo exhibitions of works by young artists.
On view during the fair 
‘Barbara Probst. Subjective Evidence’ From February 24 to June 16,&nbsp;2024
‘Woher kommst du? Wie Kunst in die Sammlung gelangt’ From February 24 to November 17, 2024
‘spot on Simon Kindle’ From June 8 to August 25, 2024

Lucerne, Switzerland

Kunstmuseum Luzern

Kunsthalle Zürich exhibits internationally relevant contemporary art and ideas that relate to it. Each exhibition is an experiment. Thus the Kunsthalle continually reassesses art, its public and itself. 
On view during the fair
‘Ana Jotta, Composição’ From June 8 to September 15, 2024
' David Armstrong'&nbsp; From June 8 to September 15, 2024

Kunsthalle Zürich

The Kunsthaus Zürich presents one of the most important art collections in Switzerland from the 13th century to the present day and organises attractive exhibitions. The internationally significant collection includes the largest Munch collection outside Norway and the most extensive collection of works by Alberto Giacometti.
A highlight are the Impressionist and Classical Modernist paintings by Monet, Picasso, Chagall and the Expressionists Kokoschka, Beckmann and Corinth. In addition to the Pop Art by Warhol and Hamilton, works by artists such as Rothko, Twombly, Beuys and Baselitz are also represented.
Medieval sculptures and panel paintings, Dutch and Italian Baroque paintings (Rembrandt, Domenichino) are followed by 19th and 20th century Swiss painting by Fuseli, Segantini, Hodler, Vallotton and Zurich Concretists such as Bill, Glarner and Loewensberg.
The important Bührle, Merzbacher and Looser Collections can be seen in the extension by David Chipperfield Architects.
 
On view during the fair
APROPOS HODLER Until June 30, 2024 
KIKI KOGELNIK From March 22 to July 14, 2024
BORN DIGITAL From June 7 to September 29, 2024
A FUTURE FOR THE PAST Until end of 2024 
Complimentary admission for VIP cardholders only.

Kunsthaus Zürich

In the former Grandhotel Thunerhof, the Kunstmuseum Thun presents four to five temporary exhibitions of mainly contemporary art every year. In addition to themed and monographic special exhibitions, one collection exhibition is organised each year. In addition to the art museum, the Thun Panorama in Schadaupark is home to the oldest surviving circular painting in the world. It shows the town of Thun over 200 years ago. Seasonal temporary exhibitions are presented in the extension building.
On view during the fair
‘GIACOMO SANTIAGO ROGADO. ALL THAT YOU SEE’ From May 11 to July 28, 2024
‘GIACOMO SANTIAGO ROGADO. AUSSER SICHT’,&nbsp;Thun-Panorama From May 11 to December 1, 2024

Thun, Switzerland

Kunstmuseum Thun

The Kunst Museum Winterthur | Beim Stadthaus is the oldest of Winterthur’s museums. In 1848 the Kunstverein Winterthur (Art Association Winterthur) was founded, and the building opened in 1916. The house hosts one of the most beautiful modern art collections of Switzerland with outstanding group of works from impressionism to contemporary art.&nbsp;
On view during the fair
'Bienvenue! Masterpieces by Cézanne, Van Gogh and Manet Return to Winterthur' From March 23, 2024 to January 5, 2025

Kunstmuseum Winterthur

La Kunsthalle is the contemporary art center of the City of Mulhouse. It organizes exhibitions and a program based on artistic creation and research. Thanks to its commitment and wide selection of events, La Kunsthalle is able to build close relationships with other art centers in the local area, across the Swiss and German borders, and further afield. 
On view during the fair 
‘Younès Rahmoun:&nbsp;Darra, Zahra, Jabal’ From June 6 to September 28, 2024 Free admission for all

Mulhouse, France

La Kunsthalle Mulhouse*

Kunst-Raum Riehen is the public art and culture exhibition venue of the municipality of Riehen. Its focus is primarily on regional and contemporary works from all art disciplines, presented in temporary exhibitions.
On view during the fair
‘ENTROPIA – On the signs of irreversibility’ From May 4 to July 7, 2024

Riehen, Switzerland

Kunst-Raum Riehen

The Luma Foundation’s exhibition spaces Luma Westbau and schwarzescafé are part of the refurbished and expanded Löwenbräukunst art complex in Zurich. Luma Westbau opened in 2013, presenting international projects, exhibitions and events commissioned and produced by the Luma Foundation.
On view during the fair
'AHLAM SHIBLI: Dissonant Belonging' From June 7 to September 8, 2024
'HANS ULRICH OBRIST ARCHIVES: Anges Varda' From June 7 to September 8, 2024

Luma Westbau

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst has been discussing the pressing issues of our time, since it was established in 1996, inspired by the approaches and works of international contemporary artists. We offer a forum for active discussions about art in the context of social responsibility. Following in this tradition, we endeavour to reach an audience as diverse and wide as possible. 
On view during the fair
‘DINEO SESHEE RAISIBE BOPAPE: (KA) PHEKO YE – THE DREAM TO COME’
‘MATERIAL MANIPULATIONS: Sammlung Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst’
From June 8 to September 8, 2024

Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich is the leading Swiss museum for design and visual communication. Since its foundation in 1875, the museum has included what has taken effect as design. Its internationally acclaimed collection&nbsp;comprises over half a million objects from the history of design.
On view during the fair
'Collection Insights -&nbsp;Seven Perspectives' Until December 1, 2024

Museum für Gestaltung

The Museum Rietberg is one of the largest art museums in Switzerland. With a focus on the traditional and contemporary arts and cultures of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, it has some 23,000 objects and 44,000 photographs in its collections. Most of the objects are on public display, either in the museum’s galleries or in its open storeroom.
On view during the fair
‘More Than Gold – Splendour and Thought of Indigenous Colombia’ From March 22 to July 21, 2024
‘Iran – Portrait of a Country’ From February 29 to August 4, 2024

Museum Rietberg

Fine arts, photography and design brought together in one single spot near Lausanne station, in a cultural area that is unique in Switzerland. Plateforme 10, a new 25,000 m2 arts district a few steps from Lausanne’s railway station, brings together the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA), Photo Elysée and the mudac, Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts.
On view during the fair
During Art Basel, the Plateforme 10 arts district celebrates the centennial of the Surrealist movement in its 3 museums.
‘MCBA : Surrealism. Le Grand Jeu’, MCBA From April 12 to August 25, 2024
‘Objects of Desire. Surrealism and Design’, mudac From March 8 to August 4, 2024
‘Man Ray. Libérer la photographie’, Photo Élysée From March 29 to August 4, 2024

Lausanne, Switzerland

Plateforme 10

For almost 25 years, international and Swiss artists have produced site-specific sculptures for the meadows and woods around Schönthal, having first familiarised themselves with the monastery, its history and the archaic landscape. The gradual development of the collection makes it a work-in-progress. Until today 35 works by 28 artists line the paths and trails, for example: Miriam Cahn, Tony Cragg, Martin Disler, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Nigel Hall, Nicola Hicks, Ben Jakober, Hans Josephsohn, Richard Long, Steiner & Lenzlinger, Not Vital and many more.
On view during the fair
‘The Hurried Spirit comes to Rest’ From April 27 to November 3, 2024

Langenbruck, Switzerland

Kloster Schönthal 1145

With the Zentrum Paul Klee, Italian star architect Renzo Piano has created a light-flooded landscape sculpture made of glass and concrete. The building with the three iconic hills is in the east of Bern. Based on Klee’s activities as a painter, musician, teacher, writer and theorist, each of the building’s three hills has its own task, which is intended to give expression to Klee’s multifaceted artistic personality.
On view during the fair
‘Sarah Morris. All Systems Fail’ Until August 4, 2024
‘Kosmos Klee. The Collection’ Until October 13, 2024

Zentrum Paul Klee

title_style_2

The Nicola Erni Collection in Steinhausen near Zug houses an extensive art collection with a focus on photography and contemporary art.
On view during the fair
Permanent collection:&nbsp;Artists include Doug Aitken, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Bradford, Elmgreen & Dragset, Sylvie Fleury, Hassan Hajjaj, Duane Hanson, Rashid Johnson, Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Beatriz Milhazes, Daido Moriyama, Helmut Newton, Julian Schnabel, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol.

Steinhausen, Switzerland

Nicola Erni Collection

The Bechtler Stiftung in Uster is permanently showing Walter de Maria's "The 2000 Sculpture" and Pipilotti Rist's video installation "I Couldn't Agree With You More". In addition to these works, it presents temporary exhibitions twice a year. The neighbouring Zellweger Park is home to other important works of contemporary art.
On view during the fair
Walter de Maria, 'The 2000 Sculpture', 1992
Pipilotti Rist, 'I Couldn't Agree With You More', 1999&nbsp;
'Karla Black', 21.04. - 06.10.2024

Uster, Switzerland 

Bechtler Stiftung

Find all the information you need for a successful visit at Art Basel in Basel 2024.

Visitor information

Discover the many cultural institutions in and around Basel.

Welcome,

Basel

Institutions in Basel

Institutions outside Basel

Private collections