Art galleries exhibition spaces foundations and cultural centers Switzerland

In Riehen, near Basel, this magnificent building was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who also created the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Nestled in an English-style park, amid wheat fields and lily ponds, this luminous structure blends into the landscape, surrounded by a winter garden and the Villa Berower, home to the museum's restaurant. Here, nature, art and architecture coexist in perfect harmony.

Founded by Basel gallery owners Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, collectors of ^20th-century masters, the foundation, inaugurated in 1997, houses a vast collection of 400 works of post-impressionist, modern and contemporary art, plus 30 ethnographic objects from Africa, Oceania and Alaska, which are presented several times a year in changing exhibitions. Thematic exhibitions devoted to cities and artistic movements that played a decisive role in the development of modern art are also regularly organized. The founding couple had a clear vision for their foundation: an open, lively museum capable of inspiring a broad public with a love of art, and which would not only promote cultural education, but also encourage exchange. Today, the Foundation's worldwide reputation makes it one of Switzerland's most popular museums. It is also one of the most beautiful, thanks to the generous proportions of its halls, which display works of art in remarkable natural light.

In 2011, monumental black and white frescoes depicting scenes from Charlie Chaplin's films were inaugurated on the two towers of Gilamont, in the presence of Jamel Debbouze, Pascal Légitimus, Michel Leeb and Eugène Chaplin. These frescoes (the largest in Switzerland, at 40 metres high) were created by the painter-performer Frank Bourroullec. A total of 1,720^{m2 of} brushstrokes were needed to turn these towers into art paintings. The project was set up to enhance the district where 400 people live.

The Fondation Les Cerlatez, created in 1993 and located 3 km from Saignelégier, develops activities in the field of information, research and protection on the theme of wetlands and in particular on peat bogs. You will discover the particularities of the peat bogs which, in Switzerland, began at the end of the ice age, 12,000 years ago. You can also visit the Maison de la réserve naturelle de l'étang de la Gruère, the vivarium and the small botanical garden.

Subtlety, finesse and delicacy make up the jewellery presented in this gallery. Each exhibition is unique, imbued with a deep meaning resulting from the singular inspiration of the designer. Each designer tells his or her own story in these jewels. Several universes, innovations and especially exclusive pieces to satisfy you. Annick Zufferey is also a creative designer and her models are composed with a discreet fantasy. Pearls, precious and semi-precious stones come to awaken the finely worked metals.

Passionate about the Age of Enlightenment, collector Rosario Zoubov lived in the Hôtel Sellon, one of the most beautiful ^18th-century townhouses in the old town. In 1957, she bequeathed her collection to the State of Geneva, in memory of her tragically deceased daughter. The sumptuous salons were used for chancellery receptions. Alongside stamped furniture, there are Chinese and European objects and paintings from the ^17th, ^18th and ^19th centuries.

A must-see museum and the largest art museum in Switzerland. The collection represents all the important periods of European art from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its highlight is the exhibition of numerous works by Alberto Giacometti. The collection also includes paintings by Marc Chagall and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as a large number of works by the Zurich Romantic genius Johann Heinrich Füssli, numerous pictures by the great masters and leading representatives of the classical movements of modern art, and a collection of works by Swiss artists such as Ferdinand Hodler, Giovanni Segantini, Peter Fischli and David Weiss. The Kunsthaus also has an outstanding collection of photographs by Swiss and international artists. In addition to the permanent collection, the Kunsthaus offers temporary exhibitions, making it one of the leading exhibition centres in Switzerland. Each year, 10 to 15 exhibitions are held.

In 2021 the Kunsthaus will house the E. G. Bührle Collection, one of the world's most outstanding private art collections. The focus is on French Impressionism with its precursors and successors from the early 20th century: Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Braque, Picasso. All these painters are represented by major works. The collection also includes works by the Venetian masters of the 18th century, Dutch masters of the 17th century and medieval sculptures.

This foundation was created in 1998 by the city of Carouge from the bequest of Charlotte Bruckner who wished to contribute to the cultural development of the city. In order to promote the work of ceramics in the broadest sense, the city thus revives a historical activity: important ceramic factories were indeed located here from 1803 to 1933. The workshops can be made available to individuals or institutions. It is a lively place where artists and amateurs from all over the world can ask for residence to develop their art. A firing service is available in the kilns and courses in modeling, throwing or molding can be offered. The Bruckner Foundation organizes the Parcours Céramique Carougeois. This international ceramic biennial takes place every four years, the next one will probably take place in 2026. It encourages the public to discover contemporary ceramics in Carouge and in the canton. The Parcours Céramique Carougeois is a festival that allows the public to discover contemporary ceramics through exhibitions, conferences, guided tours, spectacular open-air firings, screenings and workshops for children. This place of creation leaves room for imagination and poetry. This Foundation places the city of Carouge as a recognized artistic center. A site that is more for the residents of Geneva and its region, but if you like ceramics..

The Alice Pauli Gallery is the oldest and undoubtedly the best known in Lausanne. Established in the Flon since 1962, Alice Pauli has exhibited Bissier, Tobey, Dubuffet and Vieira da Silva, to whom have been added in recent years Soulages, Penone, Plensa or Anne and Patrick Poirier, and the Swiss artists Jean Lecoultre, Yves Dana, Gaspard Delachaux, Catherine Bolle or Fabienne Verdier

Located on the Pont de la Machine, overlooking the Rhône as it joins Lake Geneva, the site reflects Geneva's early industrialization. It was one of the first structures built "on the water". Its function was to regulate the water level of the Rhône. Today, it is dedicated to the presentation of exhibitions on environmental, humanitarian and artistic themes, through interactive displays. It makes an interesting little tour from the quays adjacent to the Four Seasons to the old town.

Housed in a building designed by the famous Swiss architect Mario Botta, incorporating the former home of Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-1990), and located in the heights of Neuchâtel in a green setting, this centre is mainly dedicated to the pictorial work of the writer and playwright. Known primarily as a writer, his passion for drawing and painting is highlighted here. Gouaches, oils, drawings and lithographs can be discovered throughout the visit in an original didactic museography. There is also a space devoted to his literary and dramatic work.

Discover the world of Jean Tinguely at the eponymous museum designed by architect Mario Botta. This contemporary building pays tribute to the Swiss artist of perpetual motion. The central hall houses up to twenty mechanical sculptures, symphonies of moving metal. The exhibition "La roue = c'est tout" (The Wheel = That's All) until spring 2025 offers an insight into Tinguely's work. Explore his relationship between man and machine through interactive activities. From his fragile youth to his monumental creations, discover his career. The Chez Jeannot bistro invites you to take a gourmet break.

The CIMA museum closed its doors in 2022 for conversion work, and the building has been open to the public again since 2024. Geneva watchmaker Antoine Favre is credited with inventing the music box in 1796. Over the past century, Sainte-Croix has become the world capital of this marvellous object. From Vaucanson to contemporary creators, the spectacle of automata will surprise you. It's a story of craftsmen, where wonder and magic go hand in hand.

The largest miniature park in Switzerland, this amusement park is set in a vast park where the most picturesque sites in Switzerland are recreated: its towns, its monuments (castles and cathedrals taking the lion's share) and its means of communication. All this, of course, on a scale 25 times smaller than normal. The effect is truly surprising and highly successful. The reconstructed Swiss railroad network alone stretches 3,650 m in length. A must-see for kids! On-site restaurant.

The art centre Circuit is an artistic institution created and managed by artists through the eponymous association.

This contemporary art gallery was founded in 1998 by former students of the Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL) with the aim of bringing together young Swiss and foreign artists. Circuit has since become a kind of independent art and publishing mini-centre dedicated to contemporary art, with a space for meeting and dialogue open to various artistic practices (painting, sculpture, music, performance, cinema).