Rosengart Collection

The Rosengart Collection Museum is an art museum located in Lucerne, Switzerland, dedicated to modern art. Established to preserve and exhibit the private holdings of the Rosengart family, the institution is distinguished by its profound concentration on two central figures of modernism, Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso. Beyond these two pillars, the collection encompasses a broad survey of modern painting, making it a significant destination for the study of late nineteenth and early twentieth century art.

The collection originated with Siegfried Rosengart, an art dealer born in 1894, who worked in Munich with his uncle Heinrich Thannhauser before relocating to Lucerne. Siegfried cultivated friendships with prominent artists including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Fernand Leger. He and his daughter Angela, born in 1932, jointly assembled a private collection of over 300 works. In 1978, the Rosengarts opened a Picasso Museum in the Am Rhyn-Haus in old town Lucerne to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the city, exhibiting some of their Picasso works until that museum closed on March 30, 2008. To ensure the collection's preservation and public accessibility, Angela Rosengart established the Fondation Rosengart in 1992. The Rosengart Collection Museum subsequently opened on March 26, 2002, attracting more than 100,000 visitors in its first twelve months.

The collection is defined by its deep focus on Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso, featuring 125 works by Klee and approximately 180 by Picasso. The Klee holdings constitute the largest such group in private hands outside the artist's own family. The remaining collection provides a wide overview of modern art, with works by Vassily Kandinsky, Georges Braque, Chaim Soutine, Amedeo Modigliani, Fernand Leger, Georges Seurat, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Auguste Renoir, Maurice Utrillo, Georges Rouault, Henri Matisse, and Joan Miro.

While the museum's most notable holdings are defined by the sheer volume and quality of its Klee and Picasso collections, specific identified works include the Joan Miro painting Femme, Oiseau, Etoile. The depth of the Picasso holdings, which were previously displayed at the dedicated Picasso Museum in Lucerne, and the unparalleled scope of the private Klee collection, represent the signature strengths of the institution.

The museum is housed in the former building of the Swiss National Bank, situated at Pilatusstrasse 10 next to the headquarters of the Luzerner Kantonalbank. Prior to the bank building, the site was occupied by the Villa Luise, owned by banker Louis Falck. The Zurich architect Hermann Herter constructed the neoclassical building between 1922 and 1924 in a style blending New Objectivity with neoclassicism. It served as a representative branch of the Swiss National Bank until 1999. The Basel architect Roger Diener was then commissioned to convert the structure into a museum. The ground floor is dedicated to Picasso, the basement to Klee, and the first floor to the other artists. The former bank's conference room has been preserved in its original state and remains open to visitors. The building and the collection are listed as cultural properties of national significance in Lucerne.

The Rosengart Collection Museum is located at Pilatusstrasse 10 in Lucerne, Switzerland. The institution is owned by Siegfried Rosengart and operated through the Fondation Rosengart. It receives approximately 40,000 visitors annually. The museum remains open to the public, continuing its role in making the Rosengart family's modern art collection accessible to visitors and scholars.