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Kunstmuseum Basel

Kunstmuseum Basel, established in 1661, is the oldest public art collection in the world and is located in Basel, Switzerland. The museum houses a vast collection of works spanning from the early Middle Ages to contemporary art. Its extensive collection includes notable works by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Rembrandt and Picasso. The museum is divided into three main buildings: the Hauptbau, which showcases the museum’s historical collection; the Neubau, which features modern and contemporary art; and the Gegenwart, dedicated to contemporary works. Kunstmuseum Basel also boasts the Amerbach Cabinet, a collection acquired in the 17th century that includes works by Hans Holbein the Younger and provides a foundation for the museum’s holdings. Read more about Museums.

A staged performance scene showing a blindfolded figure seated at a table with a candle, crystal ball and open book in a darkened setting.

From Surrealism to Séances: The Art World’s Spiritual Turn

A spate of 2025 shows points to wider institutional interest not only in art that engages mystical or occult frameworks but also in rereading art history through a more spiritually charged lens.
By Elisa Carollo
A painting by Frida Kahlo shows a woman sleeping in a yellow bed while a skeletal figure lies on a second bed stacked above her against a cloudy sky background.

Observer’s Must-See Museum Shows of 2026

After a turbulent 12 months for many major arts institutions, the new year brings a global slate of blockbuster exhibitions featuring artists from Frida Kahlo to Marcel Duchamp.
By Elisa Carollo
Gallery view featuring Rosso’s busts on minimalist black pedestals in a spacious wooden-floored exhibition room.

At Kunstmuseum Basel, Medardo Rosso’s Radical Dismantling of Form

Placing process before final form, the artist radically redefined traditional notions of sculpture at the end of the 19th Century.
By Elisa Carollo

What to See in Basel Beyond the Fairs: Our Top Exhibitions of 2025

By Elisa Carollo
A man in a suit walks through a tall grassy field outside Art Basel’s contemporary Messeplatz venue, with a sleek, patterned metal building in the background.

Maike Cruse On Why Art Basel’s Flagship Still Sets the Bar

By Elisa Carollo
Zurich's waterfront with a boat in the forefront, buildings in the background

The 3 Swiss Cities That Will Change How You See Switzerland

By Paul Jebara

See the Best of Black Figuration Widely Surveyed at Kunstmuseum Basel

By Sarah Moroz
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