Art Museum

Kunsthaus Zürich

Zurich, Switzerland

Kunsthaus Zürich is an art museum in Zurich, Switzerland. 865 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Paolo Veronese and Jean Baptiste Camille Corot.

About Kunsthaus Zürich

The Kunsthaus Zürich is an art museum in Zurich. It is the biggest art museum in Switzerland by area and houses one of the most important art collections in Switzerland, assembled over time by the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, a nonprofit art society. The collection spans from the Middle Ages to contemporary art, with an emphasis on Swiss art.

Overview & Identity

The Kunsthaus Zürich is the largest art museum in Switzerland by area and houses one of the country's most significant art collections. Managed by the non-profit Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the museum spans artistic production from the Middle Ages to the present day, with a particular emphasis on Swiss art. It serves as a major cultural institution in Zurich, attracting over 380,000 visitors in 2021 alone, and is situated in a prominent location on Heimplatz, accessible via the city's tram system.

History & Founding

The institution traces its origins to 1787, when it was established as a society for the promotion of the arts, known as the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft. While the society was founded in the late 18th century, the museum did not occupy its own dedicated building until 1910. The collection grew steadily over more than a century through acquisitions and donations from prominent Zurich patrons, such as Lydia Welti-Escher, before the physical museum structure was completed to house the expanding holdings.

Architecture & Building

The original museum building, opened in 1910, was designed by architects Karl Moser and Robert Curjel in a Neo-Grec version of the Secession style, featuring preserved interiors and bas-reliefs by Oskar Kiefer. The structure was extended in 1925, 1958, and 1976. A major $230 million extension by David Chipperfield, a massive rectangular sandstone-covered building, opened in 2020 and began operations in October 2021.

This new wing increased the museum's usable area by over 80%, adding 13,000 square meters and connecting to the original building via a basement link under the street.

Collection Highlights

The collection features major works by international masters including Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri Matisse. A significant portion of the holdings is dedicated to Swiss artists, most notably Alberto Giacometti, Ferdinand Hodler, and Johann Heinrich Füssli. The museum also holds important German medieval paintings and sculptures, as well as works by Joseph Beuys, Piet Mondrian, and René Magritte.

Recent additions include immersive installations by artists like Refik Anadol and presentations of the Looser collection featuring Giuseppe Penone.