Kunsthalle Basel

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Current and upcoming exhitions in Basel you can view here

It was as early as the 1840s that the idea of constructing an ‘artists’ house’ emerged within the circle of the city’s Art Association. Johann Jakob im Hof had already initiated a ferry service across the Rhine. The proceeds of this service were to finance the club house. When the Society of Basel Artists merged with Basler Kunstverein (Basel Art Association) in 1864, the latter took over the profitable operation of two Rhine ferries as well as the money already collected for the construction of an art hall. In 1869, the foundation stone for the art hall was laid in accordance with plans by the architect Johann Jakob Stehlin. In terms of both orientation and design, the building takes as its inspiration the Municipal Theatre which was also constructed by Stehlin: together with the City Casino, the three buildings form a characteristic architectural feature of the city centre, unifying music, theatre and the fine arts in an urban ensemble.

On the occasion of its inauguration in the spring of 1872, the President of the Basler Kunstverein gave the following programmatic summary of the art hall’s new function:’To provide a place for the fine arts in order to stimulate, promote and spread artistic interest within our hometown as well as to foster friendly relations between artists and art lovers.’ The Steinenberg building is suitable for both functions: situated above the club house – now housing Restaurant Kunsthalle, a very popular establishment – the ground floor consisted of halls for the permanent presentation of collected art, the library and conference rooms. In contrast, the first floor offered the monumental ceiling light hall for temporary exhibitions. The aim of the artistic decorations by Arnold Böcklin, Carl Brünner, Ernst Stückelberg and Charles Iguel was to visualise, in the spirit of their time, the history and programmatic mission of the Association.

The original construction, which was initially extended only by a sculptor’s studio facing the court as well as some adjacent office rooms, has since been complemented by several extensions. In 1885, the foundation stone was laid for a sculpture hall on a plot of land owned by Basel Art Association. In 1898, the garden wing above the studios was raised by one floor. With the elevation of the sculpture hall by one office floor, the exterior appearance of the entire composition finally came to a conclusion in 1927.