Museums & Galleries

von Bartha

Basel, Switzerland
von Bartha

Basel, Switzerland

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A Basel gallery with real history, but a surprisingly fresh energy. von Bartha is where modern abstraction, Concrete Art, Kinetic ideas and contemporary voices meet inside a former car repair shop.

von Bartha is one of Basel’s longest-running modern and contemporary art galleries, established in 1970. Today it operates between Basel and Copenhagen, with a cross-generational program that connects modern art histories with contemporary practices.

The Basel space is located at Kannenfeldplatz 6 / Kannenfeldstrasse 6, in a former car repair shop transformed into a large gallery venue. Since moving there in 2008, von Bartha has used around 700 square metres of exhibition space for contemporary exhibitions, events and special projects.

Its identity is especially linked to abstraction, Concrete Art, Kinetic Art, Arte Madí, Arte Concreto and contemporary artists working in dialogue with those histories.

Image credit

© von Bartha

What you’ll see here

At von Bartha Basel, expect a gallery experience that feels spacious, precise and architectural. This is not a white-cube gallery trying to disappear; the former garage setting gives the art a more physical, urban character.

You may encounter:

  • Modern and contemporary art
  • Abstract, Concrete and Kinetic traditions
  • Painting, sculpture, installation and spatial works
  • Artists and estates from the 20th and 21st centuries
  • A strong Basel gallery atmosphere away from the busiest museum route

The best way to enjoy it is as part of a broader Basel art itinerary, especially if you are visiting for Art Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, Fondation Beyeler or Vitra. Check the current exhibition before going, because the gallery program changes through the year and the visit depends on what is on view.

Worth the trip

Especially if you want to understand Basel beyond museums and the fair.

What makes von Bartha special is continuity. It has been part of Basel’s art ecosystem for more than five decades, while still keeping a contemporary edge. That combination — historical depth plus present energy — is very Basel.

For Artlovers, it is worth including because it shows the city’s gallery DNA: serious, international, precise, but also intimate. It is a place to feel how art history does not only live in museums — it also lives in galleries, conversations, collectors, artists and spaces that keep ideas moving.

ArtLovers Tip

Look at how the space changes the works. In von Bartha, abstraction often feels less cold and more alive — scale, rhythm, colour and architecture all start to speak together.

On show now

Exhibitions at von Bartha

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