Kunstmuseum Basel

This museum is truly the treasure of Switzerland, imagine MoMA & The Met combined in one address. As an active art lover and collector, I have not spent too much time in this museum before unfortunately, as I had only been there for events during Art Basel week. Finally I had the chance to come back to Basel and dedicate some time for a thorough visit and viewing last week, and it was for nearly 6 hours, and every moment was well spent. The museums have two buildings connected by an underground tunnel, with vast permanent collections from Renaissance & Early Modern (15th-16th c.) with strong holdings from the Upper Rhine: Hans Holbein the Younger, the Amerbach Cabinet origins; 17th-18th Centuries, Flemish and Dutch masters (like Rubens, Rembrandt); 19th Century of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism. Simply impressive collections from Monet, Cézanne, Manet, Van Gogh. Swiss artists too, such as Ferdinand Hodler. Then the 20th Century including major movement coverage: Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Constructivism with Important works from artists: Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian etc. The collections from this era at this museum impressed me the most this time! The Post Modern / contemporary collections are also worthy investigating, from Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler, Miriam Cahn, Dan Flavin, Kara Walker, Bruce Nauman, Calder and more. There are plenty of rooms to wonder with comfortable sofas in and out the exhibition halls, so you could really take time to experience the art, and it is never too crowded with too many phone cameras or noises around. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, very refreshing especially compared with other major museums around the world. Highly recommend it for art enthusiasts, families and it is a must visit when in Basel.

The paintings were good but to be honest they were not great! It felt mediaeval and repeated with the paintings and the work structures. The museum has an old museum and the new and of the two, I think the new section is good. Because of the reviews and recommendations on Google, one gets eager and also excited to visit this museum but for me it was just an ordinary museum with no great paintings on display. However the most humane and exceptional part of the museum visit are the people who manage the ticket counters and offices. They are kind, gracious and always always ready to help and assist. I would remember the visit to the most gracious lady sitting at the ticket counter, who asked me to check for the Basel card and advised me to call the hotel for the digital copy to save me some money. Also at the same time a couple offering me to share their card with me, even asking me if they can pay half the amount for me. That was generous of them, I assured them that money is not the issue but the kind lady just wanted to save my money. I got the card through my mail in about 15 minutes and more than me the lady at the counter was happy. That's the beauty of Basel and its people! I took the tour and was happy to not miss it because it was more than a tour for me. The building is amazingly attractive and thoughtfully built. The surrounding area is just like another place within the old World charm of that area, just a few minutes away from the munster!

Honestly, an amazing art museum in Basel. I would say this is my favorite museum that I went to while visiting this beautiful city and would highly recommend to any museum or art fan to do the same. They have tons of classic works by world famous artists as well as artists that I’ve never heard of. The works spans many countries and many generations and it’s a huge wealth of knowledge and beauty to see in one visit. It would be easy to spend over four hours here but we spent about 2 1/2 hours really soaking in everything. It’s three main floors divided into different time periods and art styles and on the bottom floor they have a really nice café where we enjoyed some lattes before heading out into the rain. Pricing is fair and the building is large and beautiful. No bags or umbrellas are allowed, but they have lockers right at the front entrance for free for you to place your valuables. They are also really lenient about photography just as long as you don’t use flash. The entire staff was very polite and I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Basel to check this place out.

Wow! We wish we had had more time to see all the amazing art! Quiet and clean. Lockers for backpacks- easy to use. Put this on your to do list when you are in Basel. Give yourself 3 hours at least.

A very enjoyable visit! The collection is extensive, with plenty of fascinating works to explore and appreciate. The museum is well-curated and offers a great cultural experience in Basel. My only small drawback would be the adult ticket price of 25 CHF and some restrictions inside the museum, which felt a bit limiting. Overall, though, it’s a must-see for art lovers.

It's nice. Not outstanding. The collection is a bit of a random mix and it's curated in a strange way. Not that much art really, but I did like the medieval art they had.

Great museum! There are english translations and also a bunch of works from Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Rodin! Spent about 1.5 hrs there

I’ve been traveling around Europe for quite a while now and have been in different museums and this by far was the worse I’ve been to. There are so much restrictions, a lot of policing and most of the time you are being looked at as though you plan to steal. The art inside it is not even worth the entrance fee. But as always, go ahead and experience it for yourself because art is very subjective. The area around it is beautiful. You can sit and enjoy a couple of drinks or go by the water/ river/ beach. It’s worth discovering the area

Honestly, an amazing art museum in Basel. I would say this is my favorite museum that I went to while visiting this beautiful city and would highly recommend to any museum or art fan to do the same. They have tons of classic works by world famous artists as well as artists that I've never heard of. The works spans many countries and many generations and it's a huge wealth of knowledge and beauty to see in one visit. It would be easy to spend over four hours here but we spent about 2 1/2 hours really soaking in everything. It's three main floors divided into different time periods and art styles and on the bottom floor they have a really nice café where we enjoyed some lattes before heading out into the rain. Pricing is fair and the building is large and beautiful. No bags or umbrellas are allowed, but they have lockers right at the front entrance for free for you to place your valuables. They are also really lenient about photography just as long as you don't use flash. The entire staff was very polite and I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Basel to check this place out.

"Give me a museum and I'll fill it." -Pablo Picasso It took a bit to find the galleries that I wanted but once there, wow. This is the art I love to see - impressionists galore! On a Tuesday morning, it was pretty quiet without schoolkids or large groups. There was nothing distracting me from enjoying the art. The exhibit of existentialist Bernard Buffet works was magnificent with a number of his pieces. Andy Warhol considered Buffet the "last great artist of Paris." Beyond that, Cy Twombly, Edgar Degas. Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh (I've never seen "Marguerite Gachet at the Piano" before and the "Self-Portrait with a Japanese Print" was amazing) , Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse (paintings *and* sculpture!), Alexej Von Jawlensky's "Self-portrait") and more. What museum would be complete without works by Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder and Salvador Dali? So much to see, so much to enjoy, so much to appreciate. It is one of the greatest art museums in Switzerland and I had a tremendous visit. Gift shop has lots to purchase but the prices for even the smallest prints are very high. I didn't even get a postcard today. [Review 21230 overall - 78 in Switzerland - 195 of 2024.]

Another cold, rainy November day in Basel motivated us to again seek the warm, dry climes of a nearby museum. The Kunst was an easy tram ride from our hotel and got the nod. The museum is an inviting, pleasurable space to wander through and enjoy the various art exhibits. The displays are exclusively of the modern art variety, with all the pluses and minuses that means depending upon your taste. We lean more towards the traditional and realistic in art so we are not the ideal audience here. However, a number of works caught our fancy and overall it was an enjoyable experience. The gift shop is extensive and we did find some magnets and other souvenirs there.

Good collection from the 15th century to modern works. The layout is well designed & easy to follow. The collection is limited in geographic representation though: largely Teutonic (with French impressionists). The modern collection is more diverse but still western. They provide chairs to use in the museum, which is nice as it's not a small place.

Ok. I only wanted to come here because RM from BTS went here. Lols #iykyk But, I do love museums and this houses the oldest public art collection in the world and is generally considered to be the most important museum of art in Switzerland! We went on a Sunday and it happened to be free. Score! But I believe it's also free on certain week nights and and if you have the Swiss travel pass. It's big as far as size of the building, it's pretty light and airy in there which is nice. It's not filled to the brim with pieces so you can probably walk through it in less than a couple hours if you're not reading and critiquing everything. I have to be honest in that I wish there were more pieces by well known artists I like such as Picasso, Monet, Dali, Renoir, Cezanne and Van Gogh. I think I saw a couple from Renoire, Dali and Picasso? But cool that they were pieces I've never seen before in person. There are a lot more pieces by Swiss artists I was not familiar with but that was fine. There's a lot of those middle age religious paintings which I don't miiiind but there's only so many my eyes can handle looking at. I'll also never understand all the modern pieces like a pipe laying against a wall or a dirty mitten with a balloon hanging out of it? A stack of brown suits laying on the floor. Whaaat. I don't get it. I'm glad I went to this museum and even more so that it was free. Lols But I probably wouldn't go back. So make sure you read about which artists they have there so you don't get disappointed.

Good collection of artworks. Different spaces to fit collection. Lighting exhibit was wonderful together with the architecture of the space.

Basel has a fantastic collection in the Kunstmuseum, seemingly concentrated in paintings - but nothing wrong with that! Lots of great impressionist art, plus classic, modern, other. In fact they sell a book of their masterpieces. Good stuff. On-site cafe and bookstore, including postcards of about a few hundred of their own collection.

Quite impressed with their permanent collection. Many recognizable pieces from many of the well known masters: Renoir, Klee, Picasso, Manet. Also have an interesting collection of religious works in many different styles. And a nice collection of artists from the Basel area as well. Discovered some new (to me) artists that really resonated with me: Jan Bruegel's The Sermon of St. John The Baptist is probably my favorite piece. He painted so many different and unique faces in the crowd: rapt, bored, whispering to each other, looking at other, strangely dressed people in the crowd. And one man who is leaning against a tree looking right at the viewer! I like that the museum is relatively small and well contained. You don't get as overwhelmed as you can get in larger places. I was able to walk slowly through the permanent collection, looking at everything --- but then circle back through again too see my favorite pieces --- all in around two hours. Got the English Audio tour for the special Mondrian exhibit -- should have gotten it for the permanent collection instead.

All the locals told me to go here. Indeed, it has a great collection of art and a lot concentration in the middle ages and impressionists. I enjoyed how the pieces are grouped not always by artist, but in theme groups. One in particular tickled me when I could not tell where the Picassos started and stopped and another artist with a very similar series started up on either side. Getting there is easy thanks to the excellent Basel public transportation system and a tram stop right in front of the museum.

This is our second time here in three years. The service is so appalling it's hard to describe. Don't come here unless you have an extra of couple hours to spare, and if you like sullen, rude and unresponsive service.

Kunstmuseum, just 2 mins from Basels English dentist, Dr Garry Bonsall http://www.drbonsall.ch/ (http://www.Drbonsall.ch)

The best art (Picasso, Monet, van Gogh, Dali, Tanguy, Renoir, Rembrant, Rousseau and many more) under the one roof.

Nice collection, even for people who don't have an extensive art background! Admission was free and they provided a helpful English paper guide. There is also a nice roof top deck to check out great views of the town. It's also within walking distance to at least two other museums so make sure you have time to see them all. Lastly, be careful when walking down the stairs, they are steep and made for one person at a time.

I attended the Renoir- Between Bohemia and Bourgeoisie exhibit in July, 2012. The curator did a wonderful job providing background information on Renior's life during this period covered in the exhibit. I used the audio guided tour. They had an audio guide specifically for children, but I found the information fascinating. It provided some different details from that formatted for adults. Later, I had lunch in the museum's bistro and the food was quite good which made for a pleasant excursion.

great place with picasso's master pieces