'I wanted to see how things evolve and if they withstand the test of time.... ' Ernst Beyeler.

 

Since the opening of Fondation Beyeler in 1997, thirty or so exhibitions have been held. At the end of 2006, the Foundation had welcomed nearly 3 million visitors (half of whom had come from abroad).  This project, which originally costed 55 million Swiss francs (37 million euros) has not been subsidised at all by the town. Today, Fondation Beyeler is one of the most visited museums in Switzerland and an integral part of Basel's heritage!

 

Here, everything is luxury, calm and voluptuousness! The collection formed very freely by Ernst Beyeler from 1947 to the end of the 1990s presents admirable 20^th century classics such as Douanier Rousseau, Picasso, Matisse, Bonnard, Klee, Max Ernst, Giacometti, Bacon, Pollock, Rothko and, more recently, Anselm Kiefer. Benefiting from natural light and a sensational amount of space, Fondation Beyeler implements Picasso's saying that 'art serves to wash everyday dust off the soul'.