The Swiss city of Zürich is filled with significant artistic and historical sights. It can seem overwhelming when planning an art history trip to Zürich, but there are many different museum-hopping tours available.
Sites visited on these tours include the Kunsthaus Zürich, the Museum Reitberg, the Swiss National Museum, and the Kunsthalle Zürich. All of these institutions have a different focus, and taken together, they will provide the traveler with an excellent perspective on the Swiss art world.
The City of Zürich
Zürich is a cosmopolitan city rich in culture. The city's hotels and restaurants are luxurious, and the residents have a well-deserved reputation for living the good life. Zürich is the perfect vacation destination for culturally savvy travelers who want to enjoy the finest art and architecture in Switzerland.
In addition to the fine art museums detailed below, there are many other interesting social and cultural sights to be seen in Zürich. The Old Town at the center of the city is full of well-preserved medieval and Renaissance buildings. Zürich is well-arranged for sightseeing on foot, and art lovers will not have far to go when visiting museums.
Zürich also makes an excellent base for a German and Swiss vacation, with its proximity to the Bavaria region in Germany.
Here are the top eight art museums in Zürich that can help travelers create their perfect museum-hopping day.
1. Kunsthaus Zürich
Kunsthaus Zürich is a leader in the exhibition of contemporary and traditional artworks. The collection begins in the Middle Ages and takes the history of Swiss art up to the present day.
The museum's permanent collection houses major works by artists like Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Edvard Munch, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri Matisse.
A rotating slate of special exhibitions brings the museum's collections fully up-to-date with the best in 21st-century art. Currently, the museum features an exhibition by an Algerian-French photographer and sculptor named Kader Attia. Attia is concerned with the cultural appropriation of African art in European settings.
This museum is located on a tram line and is easily accessed via the Pfauenplatz.
2. Museum Rietberg
Museum Rietberg has a proud place as the only Swiss museum dedicated solely to non-European art. The museum brings together the best examples of art from a broad segment of the world, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.
One of the museum's special focal points is the exhibition of religious objects. Indian, Chinese, and Egyptian religious art and sculpture are featured in the permanent collection.
The museum is located in the Rieterpark in the central part of Zürich. It consists of four historical buildings and one contemporary building. It is easy to reach by train, bus, and tram.
3. Swiss National Museum
The Swiss National Museum is a source of great national pride. It explores what it means to be Swiss and how the country's culture has been enriched over the centuries. One of its most popular exhibitions is called "Ideas of Switzerland." This exhibition examines how Swiss artists and designers have highlighted the national spirit in their work.
One of the most exciting current exhibits is a sculpture collection called "The Exhausted Man". The exhibition explores what it means to be a man. It has a broad scope over the centuries and provides enduring images of the human condition, from marble figures to works in other media.
The National Museum is located in the center of the old town district, next to the Hauptbahnhof train station.
3. Mona Lisa Foundation
While the Mona Lisa Foundation is not a museum, it is dedicated to the study and preservation of the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The Foundation was put in place to preserve the Isleworth Mona Lisa, an earlier version of the painting currently housed in the Louvre in Paris. The Isleworth Mona Lisa is a genuine work of Leonardo, and it forms a fascinating part of the great master's history. Studying this masterwork is possible for art historians and other scholars.
4. Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
The Museum für Gestaltung or Museum of Design focuses on industrial design, architecture, visual communication, and craft. The major collections are centered around posters, design objects, graphics, applied art, and the works of Le Corbusier.
This museum is dedicated to the best applications of design to everyday life as well as the graphic iconography of the past and the present time. Some of the famous artists and designers who are featured in the museum's permanent collections include Max Bill, Herbert Matter, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.
The Museum für Gestaltung is centrally located near the Hauptbahnhof in Zürich.
5. Kunsthalle Zürich
This museum is one of Europe's most important institutions of contemporary art. The Kunsthalle is not a collecting institution, but it brings together the best current voices in the art world and offers a fresh perspective on the world we live in.
Some artists who have been featured at the Kunsthalle include Ed Atkins, Ida Ekblad, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Trisha Donnelly.
The Kunsthalle is located on Limmatstrasse, close to the city center.
Exploring the Art World in Zürich
Since all of these museums are located in or near the city center in Zürich, it is easy to plan out a day of visiting different museums. Combined with visiting some of Zürich's fine restaurants, art lovers can make a day out of museum-hopping.
These five institutions are not all that Zürich has to offer the art lover. There are several other museums that can be visited over the course of a stay in the city.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
