A special place for art
The Fondation Beyeler is a museum for modern and contemporary art that is open 365 days a year. It is considered one of the most beautiful museums in the world. With its exhibitions of renowned artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries in particular, it has gained international recognition and established itself as one of the most visited art museums in Switzerland. At the heart of the museum experience lies the personal encounter and sensory experience of visitors engaging with art and nature.
The art museum is situated in an English-style park with a historic villa, mature trees, and water lily ponds. The museum building, designed by the multi-award-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano, blends elegantly into the cultural landscape, offering wonderful views of the park, cornfields, grazing cows and sheep, as well as the vineyards at the foothills of the Black Forest. The spacious rooms present art in the most beautiful natural light. A green winter garden invites visitors to linger and read. The Fondation Beyeler unites nature, art, and architecture in unique harmony.
It brings high-quality art to a broad audience and is particularly committed to sparking the interest of young people. This was a special concern for the founders, Ernst and Hildy Beyeler. To this end, they established the Beyeler Foundation in 1982 and opened the Fondation Beyeler in 1997 in their hometown of Riehen near Basel. They donated their valuable art collection to the foundation and endowed it with the celebrated museum building by Renzo Piano. Since the founders' passing, responsibility for the Beyeler Foundation has rested with the Board of Trustees, presided over by Hansjörg Wyss. Sam Keller has been Director of the Fondation Beyeler since 2008.
The Beyeler Collection
Several times a year, the Beyeler Collection is exhibited in changing presentations. It comprises around 400 works of Impressionism, classical modernism, and contemporary art, as well as 30 ethnographic art objects from Africa, Oceania, and Alaska. The collection is researched and cared for by the museum's own conservators and restorers. The museum also houses long-term loans from artists as well as from partner collections such as the Daros Collection or the Anthax Collection Marx.
An international programme
The Fondation Beyeler continuously organizes exhibitions dedicated to the great masters of modern art and to important artists of our time. Periodically, thematic exhibitions on cities and art movements that were decisive for the development of modern art are also presented. In addition, projects with contemporary artists are realized every year, both in the museum and in public spaces. The Fondation Beyeler regularly collaborates with leading international museums and cultural institutions.
Cultural Programme and Art Education
Cultural events and art education activities broaden the spectrum and facilitate access to art. The diverse program of the Fondation Beyeler includes artist talks, concerts, dance performances, readings, lectures, panel discussions, cabaret, and film screenings. Internationally celebrated artists, scholars, musicians, dancers, actors, directors, and other personalities are regularly welcomed as guests. In addition, daily tours, workshops, and games are offered for young people, families, schools, companies, associations, and groups.
Our Partners
The Fondation Beyeler is financed and supported through contributions from the Beyeler Foundation, the Hansjörg Wyss Foundation, sponsoring partners, patrons, members of the Circle of Friends, subsidies from the Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Municipality of Riehen, project contributions from the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, and, above all, visitor admission fees.
Fondation Beyeler
The Fondation Beyeler is an open and vibrant museum that fosters access to art, cultural education and experiences, as well as interpersonal encounters. The restaurant and the museum shop also contribute to this. Since opening in 1997, the museum has welcomed over 9 million visitors, half of them from Switzerland, and the other half from neighboring countries and around the world. The Fondation Beyeler website offers insight into its collection and activities. It also includes films, photographs, and texts on artists, exhibitions, events, education, restorations, publications, editions, and other projects.