Is the Kunsthaus Zürich worth visiting?

Yes — the Kunsthaus holds one of the finest permanent collections in Central Europe, with exceptional Giacometti and Munch holdings that are difficult to see at this quality anywhere else. The David Chipperfield extension also makes it architecturally significant.

What is special about the Giacometti collection?

The Kunsthaus holds the world's largest institutional collection of works by Alberto Giacometti, comprising paintings, drawings, and sculptures across all periods of his career. Giacometti was Swiss, born in the canton of Graubünden, and the Kunsthaus has maintained a close relationship with his foundation.

Europe

Kunsthaus Zürich

Zurich · Switzerland · Founded 1787

Switzerland's largest art museum — a world-class collection ranging from medieval masters to Monet, Munch, and Giacometti, expanded in 2021 with a striking new building by David Chipperfield.

About Kunsthaus Zürich

The Kunsthaus Zürich traces its origins to the Zürich Art Society, founded in 1787 — making it one of the oldest civic art institutions in Europe. The museum building on Heimplatz opened in 1910 (Karl Moser) and was dramatically expanded in 2021 with a new wing by David Chipperfield Architects, making the combined Kunsthaus the largest art museum in Switzerland.

The permanent collection covers 700 years of art, with particular strengths in the Swiss artists Giacometti and Hodler, a major Edvard Munch collection (second only to Oslo), French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and an important group of works by Claude Monet including three Water Lilies paintings. The museum also holds major works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Chagall, Bonnard, Kokoschka, and a growing contemporary collection.

Collections & Highlights

Alberto Giacometti — one of the finest institutional collections of his sculpture and painting

Edvard Munch — second-largest collection outside Norway

Claude Monet — three Water Lilies paintings and major Impressionist works

David Chipperfield's 2021 extension — significant contemporary architecture in central Zurich

Frequently Asked Questions

Basel, Switzerland

Fondation Beyeler

A small ask before you go

You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.

Preventable blindness, caused by conditions like cataracts and trachoma, affects people of all ages across the world's poorest communities. A small gift — for the cost of a museum ticket — can provide a simple surgery to restore someone's sight and transform their life.

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