{"id":14515,"date":"2025-09-18T17:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/kunstmuseum-basel-invites-audiences-to-discover-700-years-of-art-from-over-4000-works\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T17:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:30:12","slug":"kunstmuseum-basel-invites-audiences-to-discover-700-years-of-art-from-over-4000-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/kunstmuseum-basel-invites-audiences-to-discover-700-years-of-art-from-over-4000-works\/","title":{"rendered":"kunstmuseum basel invites audiences to discover 700 years of art from over 4,000 works"},"content":{"rendered":"

the Oldest public art collection is at Kunstmuseum Basel<\/h2>\n

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Kunstmuseum Basel is inviting visitors to experience its unparalleled holdings spanning seven centuries of artistic production. Founded in 1661 as the world\u2019s oldest public art collection, the museum<\/a><\/strong> today houses over 4,000 paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations, alongside some 300,000 drawings and prints in the Kupferstichkabinett. Highlights include masterpieces by Hans Holbein the Younger, Konrad Witz, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol<\/a><\/strong>, Pamela Rosenkranz, and many more. Its curated presentations guide audiences through the Old Masters, the 19th century, Classical Modernism, art after 1950, and contemporary practice across the museum\u2019s three buildings.<\/p>\n

(above) Hans Holbein d. J.,\u2019The Dead Christ in the Tomb\u2019, 1521 \u2013 1522, Kunstmuseum Basel, Photo: Max Ehrengruber<\/p>\n

(banner) Auguste Rodin, \u2019The Burghers of Calais\u2019, 1884\u20131889, Cast 1942\/43, Kunstmuseum Basel, Photo: Martin P. B\u00fchler | all images courtesy of Kunstmuseum Basel<\/a><\/p>\n

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over 4\u2019000 paintings, sculptures, videos and installations<\/h2>\n

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The earliest works in the collection<\/a><\/strong> date from around 1400, with standout pieces by Konrad Witz, who was active in Basel between 1434 and ca. 1445. The museum<\/a><\/strong> holds the single largest ensemble of his paintings in existence, including panels of the Heilsspiegel Altarpiece. Equally striking is the Kunstmuseum\u2019s unrivaled collection of works from Hans Holbein the Younger\u2019s Basel period, among them The Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521\u201322), the artist\u2019s family portrait, the Passion Altarpiece, and his organ shutter designs for Basel Minster.<\/p>\n

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On the Hauptbau\u2019s first floor, facing St. Alban-Graben, the galleries focus on the \u2018long nineteenth century.\u2019 Here, visitors encounter Swiss masters such as Henry Fuseli, Caspar Wolf, Arnold B\u00f6cklin, Albert Anker, and Ferdinand Hodler. French painting bridges tradition and modernism with Camille Corot and Gustave Courbet, while Impressionism emerges in works by Camille Pissarro, Paul C\u00e9zanne, Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet, including Die Steilk\u00fcste von Aval mit Felsentor und Felsnadel (1884). The presentation culminates in masterworks by Vincent van Gogh, including his Selbstbildnis mit japanischem Holzschnitt (1887), as well as pieces by Paul Gauguin and Edgar Degas.<\/p>\n

Vivian Suter, \u2019Untitled\u2019,\u00a02023<\/span>, Donation by Maja Oeri in honor of Josef Helfenstein, Photo: Max Ehrengruber<\/p>\n

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the museum\u2019s collections span from seven centuries<\/h2>\n

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The museum\u2019s second floor reveals highlights of classical modernism, beginning with Fauvism and Cubism and extending into Expressionism, Surrealism, and Constructivism. Among its treasures are Oskar Kokoschka\u2019s Bride of the Wind and Franz Marc\u2019s Animal Destinies, along with Sophie Taeuber-Arp\u2019s \u00c9quilibre (1934). The Steinsaal offers a dedicated space for the sculpture of Alberto Giacometti, immersing visitors in the Swiss artist\u2019s singular vision.<\/p>\n

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In the 1950s, Kunstmuseum Basel established itself as a progressive institution for contemporary art. A pivotal donation from the Schweizerische National-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft enabled the acquisition of four works of Abstract Expressionism, cementing the museum\u2019s reputation. The collection now includes icons such as Helen Frankenthaler\u2019s Riverhead (1963) and Andy Warhol\u2019s Ginger Rogers (1962). These acquisitions laid the foundation for one of Europe\u2019s most forward-looking contemporary art holdings.<\/p>\n

Louise Lawler,\u2019(Bunny) Sculpture and Painting (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times)\u2019, 2022\/2024, Kunstmuseum Basel, Courtesy the artist and Spr\u00fcth Magers; Frank Stella, \u2019Damascus Gate. Variation I\u2019, 1969\u20131970, Kunstmuseum Basel, Acquisition \u00a9 2025, ProLitteris, Zurich; Louise Lawler, \u2019 Three Flags (swiped and taken) (adjusted to fit) (mirrored or flipped) Cease Fire\u2019, 2022\/2024, Courtesy the artist and Spr\u00fcth Magers; | image \u00a9 Max Ehrengruber<\/p>\n

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At Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, the focus shifts to works from the last four decades, drawn from the \u00d6ffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel and the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation. Thematic displays engage with pressing issues of today, from Vulnerability and Identity to Digital Culture, Nature, and Global Contexts. Notably, the collection has recently been enriched by Pamela Rosenkranz\u2019s Skin Pool (Plasmin) (2025), acquired with the support of the Burger Collection, Hong Kong, and the TOY family in memory of Yves.<\/p>\n

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The Kunstmuseum\u2019s architecture is itself part of the story. The Hauptbau, completed in 1936 by Rudolf Christ and Paul Bonatz, exemplifies conservative modernism. The Neubau, designed by Christ & Gantenbein, opened in 2016 opposite the Hauptbau and connects to it underground, expanding the institution\u2019s footprint. Meanwhile, Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, inaugurated in 1980, provides a dedicated home for contemporary holdings.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9e Levi,\u2019Mira \u2019, 2025, Kunstmuseum Basel, gift by the artist \u00a9 2025, ProLitteris, Zurich; Photo: Max Ehrengruber<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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The Hauptbau, completed in 1936 by the architects Rudolf Christ and Paul Bonatz | image \u00a9 Raphaela Graf<\/p>\n

Pamela Rosenkranz, \u2019Skin Pool (Plasmin)\u2019, 2025, Kunstmuseum Basel, Acquired in 2025, with the support of the Burger Collection, Hong Kong, and the TOY family, in memory of Yves<\/p>\n

Helen Frankenthaler, \u2019Riverhead\u2019, 1963, Kunstmuseum Basel, Donation by Helen Frankenthaler Foundation \u00a9 2025, ProLitteris, Zurich, Photo: Max Ehrengruber<\/p>\n

Claude Monet,\u2019The Rock Needle and the Porte d\u2019Aval\u2019, 1884, Kunstmuseum Basel, on deposit from the Dr. h.c. Emile Dreyfus Foundation, Photo: Martin P. B\u00fchler<\/p>\n

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Exterior view of the Kunstmuseum Basel | Neubau, 2022, Photo: Mark Niedermann<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Vincent van Gogh, \u2019Self-Portrait with a Japanese Print\u2019, 1887, on deposit from the Dr. h.c. Emile Dreyfus Foundation, Photo: Martin P. B\u00fchler<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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name:<\/strong> Kunstmuseum Basel<\/a><\/p>\n

location:<\/strong> Basel, Switzerland<\/p>\n

The post kunstmuseum basel invites audiences to discover 700 years of art from over 4,000 works<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

the Oldest public art collection is at Kunstmuseum Basel \u00a0 Kunstmuseum Basel is inviting visitors to experience its unparalleled holdings spanning seven centuries of artistic production. 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