Kunstmuseum Basel

Basel, Switzerland

The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland. The Kunstmuseum possesses the largest collection of works by the Holbein family. Further examples of Renaissance art include important pieces by such masters as Konrad Witz, Hans Baldung (called Grien), Martin Schongauer, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Mathias Grünewald.

The main features of the 17th and 18th centuries are the Flemish and Dutch schools (e.g. Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Jan Brueghel the Elder), German and Dutch still life painting. Key works from the 19th century include the Impressionists represented by Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne as well as the paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Switzerland’s Arnold Böcklin and Ferdinand Hodler.

In the 20th century, the focus is on works of Cubism with Picasso, Braque and Juan Gris. Expressionism is represented by such figures as Edvard Munch, Franz Marc, Oskar Kokoschka and Emil Nolde. The collection also includes works from Constructivism, Dadaism and Surrealism and American art since 1950. Further highlights are the unique compilations of works from Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Alberto Giacometti and Marc Chagall.

In the realm of more recent and contemporary art, the collection maintains substantial bodies of work by Swiss, German, Italian, and American artists, including Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Georg Baselitz, A.R. Penck, Brice Marden, Bruce Nauman, Jonathan Borofsky, Roni Horn, Francesco Clemente, Mimmo Paladino, Enzo Cucchi, Martin Disler, Leiko Ikemura, Markus Raetz, Rosemarie Trockel and Robert Gober.

The Kunstmuseum’s main building was designed and constructed 1931-1936 by architects Paul Bonatz und Rudolf Christ.

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Founded: 1931-1936
Category: Museums in Switzerland

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ina Colombo (3 years ago)
Varied selection of artwork with modern, contemporary, impressionist etc. There are 3 sites and therefore many exhibitions and artwork to see. The buildings themselves are also very interesting architecturally.
ingrid kus (3 years ago)
Fantastic place to enjoy art. My imagination met reality all in plus!
Rea Maor (3 years ago)
A Great way to fill your soul with art, the museum is big enough to fill 3-4 hours of browsing, it's perfect last minute attraction before the flight back.
Yihan Liu (3 years ago)
There wasn't a lot of surprises in the museum. According to thier homepage that people have to pay extra for the contemporary exhibition. The content dose not really deserve the price, I mean compared with the other museum that I've been to.
Raunak Baid (3 years ago)
One of the best places to visit in Basel . A must see for art lovers. Even children enjoy their time here.
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