Contemporary art in Basel

Basel
Art Guide

Explore Galleries Exhibitions Magazine Advisory Artists Artworks Map

Basel galleries
featured on Ocula

Ocula Member Galleries are selected by a committee of respected gallerists to present only the best of contemporary art on Ocula.

Read More

Whether you want to discover contemporary art created by established artists or by emerging talents, below you will find some of the best galleries across Basel's vibrant art scene presenting a range of both.

Galerie Henze & Ketterer contemporary art gallery in Riehen/Basel, Switzerland
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Current Exhibition:
Group Exhibition
Map

Basel exhibitions
featured on Ocula

View 49 More

Explore current and upcoming exhibitions showing at Ocula Member Galleries, Institutions, and non-profit art spaces.

Read More

Our exhibition profiles include press releases, installation images, and for gallery spaces, a selection of artworks being shown in Mexico City. They also include access to profiles of exhibiting artists.

To present only the best of contemporary art on Ocula, our Members are determined by a selection committee of respected and influential international gallerists.

View 49 More

Basel
in Ocula Magazine

View 22 More

Ocula Advisory
on Basel

View 3 More

Explore Ocula Advisory, which provides insightful content to collectors wanting an insider's view on the art market.

Read More

Led by Ocula founder Simon Fisher, Ocula Advisory assists new and established collectors in building and managing their collections.

Through 40+ years of combined experience and extensive relationships with galleries, auction houses, art dealers, and collectors, the Ocula Advisory team has exceptional knowledge about and access to a broad spectrum of modern and contemporary artworks.

Follow the Advisory team for their Picks on must-see art shows in Milan, exceptional artworks in the city, and artists to follow as well as art market news.

View 3 More

Artists on show
in Basel

View 10 More

In Basel, you can view work by some of the world's most exciting artists. Below is a selection of artists with works currently on view in exhibitions showing with Ocula Member Galleries.

Read More

Sign up to My Ocula to follow artists and galleries, save artworks to your favourites, and be informed when new exhibitions and features are published.

View 10 More

Artworks
in Basel

Representing leading galleries in Basel, on Ocula you can view a selection of artworks by important established artists and emerging new talents currently being shown in the city.

Read More

Sign up to My Ocula to follow artists and galleries, save artworks to your favourites, and be informed when new artworks become available.

Landscape with sun by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff contemporary artwork print
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Landscape with sun, 1916 Woodcut
30 x 36 cm
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Request Price & Availability
Watt(mud-flats) by Eduard Bargheer contemporary artwork painting
Eduard Bargheer Watt (mud-flats), 1938 Painting
74 x 107 cm
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Request Price & Availability
Mountain landscape by Erich Heckel contemporary artwork painting
Erich Heckel Mountain landscape, 1922 Oil on canvas
83 x 96.5 cm
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Request Price & Availability
Volcanic landscape by Eduard Bargheer contemporary artwork painting
Eduard Bargheer Volcanic landscape, 1958 Oil on canvas
54 x 65 cm
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Request Price & Availability
Rock and fir by Christian Rohlfs contemporary artwork painting
Christian Rohlfs Rock and fir, 1918 Water tempera
48.5 x 33.8 cm
Galerie Henze & Ketterer Request Price & Availability

Straddling the Rhine in the Northwest of Switzerland, the populous university town of Basel has long been a centre of culture and learning. Basel, the final resting place of famed European scholar Erasmus, equally embraces tradition and modernity—evident in its contrasting makeup of Medieval buildings and Swiss modern architecture.

Read More

Art has long been a core part of Basel's identity. The art galleries and museums across the city are filled with the fruits of centuries of art collecting. While reverent to tradition, Basel also maintains a thriving contemporary art scene. The city is also associated with the leading international art fair, Art Basel, that began in the 1970s.

Art Basel Museums and Institutions

Basel is home to over 40 museums and institutions dedicated to history and the arts. Their focus ranges from Basel's Roman past, displayed at the archaeological site of Augusta Raurica, to 20th- and 21st-century design, celebrated by the Vitra Design Museum.

Located in the historical heart of Basel are some of Basel's best-known international institutions. Kunstmuseum Basel, a three-building municipal institution, boasts a collection spanning from the Medieval era to the present. Kunsthalle Basel is the city's oldest-running art institution, dating back to the late-19th century, and presents new and innovative works by international and Swiss artists. Older still are the nearby Museum of Cultures and Natural History Museum Basel.

Just around the bend in the river is the Museum Tinguely, which houses the world's largest collection of art by Swiss Dadaist sculptor Jean Tinguely. Further out in the city's northeastern municipality of Riehen, one finds the Fondation Beyeler, a popular art museum and collection presenting curated exhibitions of modern and contemporary art from around the world.

Basel Art Galleries and Art Spaces

Basel is also home to several independent galleries and art spaces spread across the city's centre. This includes international contemporary art galleries like the long-running Von Bartha, established in 1970, and newer spaces like Anne Mosseri-Marlio Galerie and Vitrine. Gagosian also opened a space in Basel's Altstadt in 2019.

One can also find non-profit and artist-run spaces like SALTS, operating out of a physical space on the outskirts of the city; the Basel Art Centre in the Basel-Vorstädte; Voltage, a studio and exhibition space in the district of St. Johann; and the Klingental Exhibition Gallery on the grounds of the former Klingental convent.

Basel Art Events and Festivals

Basel is best known internationally as the home of Art Basel, the famed art fair held annually at the Messe Basel exhibition complex. An international hub of contemporary art, Basel hosts other major contemporary art fairs, including photo basel, which exclusively presents photography; LISTE Art Fair Basel, a fair for younger galleries and emerging artists; and VOLTA Basel.

Reflecting its location to both the French and German borders, Basel also hosts several unique cultural festivals. Best known is Fasnacht, a three-day carnival that begins on the first Monday after Ash Wednesday.

Image: The Middle Bridge over the Rhine in Basel. Photo: Lucazzitto. CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Gagosian
Rheinsprung 1
Basel
Galerie Henze & Ketterer
Wettsteinstrasse 4
Basel Current Exhibition:Group Exhibition
EXPRESSIVE! The Nude in Modern Art
12 April–17 August 2024
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Follow Basel Art Guide
Stay ahead.
Receive updates on new artworks,
exhibitions and articles.
Your personal data is held in accordance with our privacy policy.
Follow
Do you have an Ocula account?
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Get Access
Join Ocula to request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Do you have an Ocula account? Login
What best describes your interest in art?

Subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming exhibitions, available works, events and more.
By clicking Sign Up or Continue with Facebook or Google, you agree to Ocula's Terms & Conditions. Your personal data is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for joining us. Just one more thing...
Soon you will receive an email asking you to complete registration. If you do not receive it then you can check and edit the email address you entered.
Close
Thank you for joining us.
You can now request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Close
Welcome back to Ocula
Enter your email address and password below to login.
Reset Password
Enter your email address to receive a password reset link.
Reset Link Sent
We have sent you an email containing a link to reset your password. Simply click the link and enter your new password to complete this process.
Login