Modernity as the age of technical progress is characterised mainly by movement and velocity, which have also found multiple manifestations in art. At the same time, a longing for deceleration has evolved, which to this day expresses itself in ever new images of calm and quiet. Especially in times of ever increasing acceleration such as ours, the need for peace and repose seems particularly pronounced. 

The Fondation Beyeler’s current collection display thus focuses on works of modern and contemporary art dealing with the topic of calm and quiet. It is striking to note the extent to which these works vary in their aesthetics, their contents, their form, their choice of media and material. The museum itself is brought into focus as a potential site of stillness and reflection. Each room of the exhibition is devoted to a specific aspect of the notion of calm and quiet, inviting viewers to silent vision and contemplation: static and bodily repose, the idyllic stillness of nature, celestial calm and the quiet before the storm, stillness and emptiness, balanced compositions, still lifes, inner peace, silence, solitude and meditation as well as sleep and eternal rest are the themes underlying the exhibition’s different sections. Together, the selected artworks display the rich scope of the exhibition’s theme, mostly in the media of painting and sculpture. 

The collection display presents key works of the Fondation Beyeler spanning the period from Impressionism to contemporary art, by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Piet Mondrian, Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, Gerhard Richter and Marlene Dumas as well as many other artists. Major long term loans from private collections round off the Fondation Beyeler’s collection display. 

The collection display is curated by Dr. Raphaël Bouvier, Curator at the Fondation Beyeler.

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K. Malewitsch, Suprematistische Komposition, 1915 - Small prints of great works

For some years now, the Fondation Beyeler has issued art prints of one or two motifs from almost every exhibition. Over time these have grown into a miniature collector’s edition of their own. The very high-quality and numbered prints are presented in a mount, whose back carries a text about the artist (in French) and information about the print (in English and French).

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Max Ernst, Naissance d'une galaxie, 1969
Liven up your walls

To keep the impressions of your visit fresh in your mind and art a presence in your daily life, too, the Fondation Beyeler offers a variety of reproductions of works from the collection. Find your favorite artwork in the Shop and enjoy it within your own four walls!

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Foulard "Nymphéas"
An artistic companion

The luminous, harmonious composition of Monet’s Water Lilies (1916–1919) from the Beyeler Collection offers an ideal motif for this delicate foulard, which nestles softly and gently around the neck. The foulard is made of top-quality silk georgette and the edges are finished in the intricate mano-macchina technique, combining machine and hand embroidery. The silk print reproduces the original painting in all its subtle nuances of color.

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