Swiss landmark of European art history
The Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel, the municipal art collection of Basel, dates back to 1661, when the city acquired the Amerbach Cabinet. Considered the oldest publicly accessible art museum in the world, the Kunstmuseum Basel and its collection grew steadily over the centuries, and now comprises three buildings: the Hauptbau, the Gegenwart and the Neubau. The Kunstmuseum Basel’s Hauptbau was completed in 1936 and houses the collection of Swiss art from Basel, as well as works from mediaeval, Renaissance and postwar modernism periods. Of particular note is the world’s largest holdings of work by the Holbein family, as well as the famed sculpture “The Burghers of Calais” by Auguste Rodin, whose seventh casting stands in the museum’s inner courtyard. The Gegenwart building was the museum’s first expansion in 1980 and was one of the first museums dedicated to contemporary art in the world. Special exhibitions are held in the newest building, the Neubau, which opened in 2016, and also displays works of art from post-1950.
