The art year 2026 in Switzerland

In 2026, Switzerland’s museum landscape will be remarkably diverse. After years in which the focus was often on individual major exhibitions, this emphasis is shifting.

In 2026, many museums will be focusing less on one big blockbuster and more on several strong exhibitions with clear themes. The result is a programme that is aimed not only at specialist audiences, but also at visitors who are keen to discover something new.

Basel: From Cézanne to the present day

The Fondation Beyeler begins the year with Paul Cézanne (from 25 January). His paintings appear surprisingly modern: landscapes and still lifes are less representations than constructions of colour and form. This is followed in May by an exhibition featuring Pierre Huyghe, who understands art as a process – with installations that change and often incorporate nature and technology. The programme concludes with Ruth Asawa, whose delicate wire sculptures float in space and show how light sculpture can appear.

The Kunstmuseum Basel deliberately creates contrasts. Helen Frankenthaler shows how colour can flow generously, sensually and openly. In the Haus für Gegenwart, Cao Fei brings digital worlds into the museum and explores work, urbanisation and virtual identities. The programme is complemented by an exhibition on the collector Gertrud Dübi-Müller, who brings art history to life through personal relationships and stories.

Zurich: Art in dialogue

The Kunsthaus Zurich invites visitors to shift their perspective several times in 2026. Kerry James Marshall asks who is visible in Western art history – and who has long been missing. Marisol brings humour and pop art with depth, while Vilhelm Hammershøi offers a calm counterpoint in the summer: quiet rooms, subdued lighting and concentration. In autumn, Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch will be shown together – two artists who radically translated inner states into painting.

Romandy: Art in motion

In Lausanne, the MCBA will focus on the artist Otobong Nkanga. Her work with textiles, minerals and plants addresses resources, origins and global interconnections. The Photo Elysée shows, through the work of Luc Delahaye, how photography can oscillate between documentation and staging.

Geneva is going its own way in 2026: because the MAMCO is being renovated, it is relocating its exhibitions to public urban spaces. Art will appear in unexpected places and become part of everyday life – an approach that will reach new audiences.

Away from the centres

It is also worth taking a look outside the major cities. In Davos, Kirchner and Picasso are juxtaposed, while in St. Gallen, Delcy Morelos brings earth, scent and material directly into the museum. In Lugano, the MASI combines contemporary video works from Korea with a major retrospective of the futurist Umberto Boccioni.

Art year 2026 in Switzerland – exhibitions at a glance

Basel & region

Fondation Beyeler, Riehen

• Cézanne
• 25 January – 25 May 2026
• Pierre Huyghe
• 24 May – 13 September 2026
• Ruth Asawa
• 18 October 2026 – 10 January 2027

Kunstmuseum Basel

• Helen Frankenthaler
• 18 April – 23 August 2026
• Cao Fei
• Testimonies to the Near Future
• 30 May – 11 October 2026
• Van Gogh, Hodler and a Cabriolet
• The Collector and Pioneer Gertrud Dübi-Müller
• 19 September 2026 – 7 February 2027

Museum Tinguely

• Angelica Mesiti. Reverb
• 18 March – 30 August 2026
• Zilla Leutenegger. ZWISCH ENRAUM/HINDU RCHZUSCHAUN
• 23 September 2026 – 7 March 2027

Zurich

Kunsthaus Zurich

• Kerry James Marshall
• The Histories
• 27 February – 16 August 2026
• Félicien Rops
• Laboratory of Desires
• 6 March – 31 May 2026
• Marisol
• 17 April – 23 August 2026
• Vilhelm Hammershøi
• Painter of the Silent Sound
• 3 July – 25 October 2026
• Maria Lassnig and Edvard Munch
• Malfluss = Lebensfluss
• 2 October 2026 – 21 February 2027

Museum Rietberg

• Mongolia
• A Journey Through Time
• until 22 February 2026
• Japan de luxe
• The Art of Surimono Prints
• until 12 July 2026

Museum of Design Zurich

• Pay Attention! Striking Appeals
• until 8 February 2026

Events

• Art International Zurich
• 8 – 10 May 2026
• Zurich Art Weekend
• 12 – 14 June 2026

Romandy

Lausanne – Plateforme 10

MCBA

• Vallotton Forever. The Retrospective
• until 15 February 2026
• Marina Xenofontos. Play Life
• 6 February – 2 August 2026
• Otobong Nkanga. I dreamt of you in colours
• 3 April – 23 August 2026
• Lucas Erin.
• Manor Art Prize Vaud 2026
• 28 August 2026 – 14 February 2027
• Ted Joans. Black Flower
• 9 October 2026 – 28 February 2027

Photo Elysée

• Gen Z
• A New Perspective
• until 1 February 2026
• Luc Delahaye
• The Echo of the World
• 6 March – 31 May 2026

Collection de l’Art Brut

• Laure Pigeon
• infiniment bleu
• until 1 February 2026
• Art Brut en Suisse
• From the origins of the collection to today
• 28 February – 27 September 2026

Geneva (various locations)

• Dial-A-Poem Switzerland
• 28 March – 10 May 2026
• Quickkopy Conceptualism. Bay Area Dada to Bay Area Punk
• 13 May – 21 June 2026
• Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement (BIM)
• 14 October – 15 November 2026

Bern & Mittelland

Kunstmuseum Bern

• Kirchner × Kirchner
• until 11 January 2026
• Panorama Switzerland. From Caspar Wolf to Ferdinand Hodler
• until 5 July 2026
• Expressionism Foundation. From Gabriele Münter to Sam Francis
• until 5 July 2026

Zentrum Paul Klee

• Anni Albers. Constructing Textiles
• until 22 February 2026
• Focus. Klee’s Reverses
• 9 May – 23 August 2026
• Focus. Florence Henri (1893 – 1982)
• 29 August 2026 – 10 January 2027

Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau

• Collection 26
• Art from Switzerland
• 24 January – 5 July 2026
• More Light
• Video in Art
• 31 January – 25 May 2026
• Mario Sala
• Collection in Focus
• 31 January – 21 June 2026
• Shamiran Istifan
• Manor Art Prize 2026
• 12 June – 6 September 2026

Eastern Switzerland & Ticino

Kirchner Museum Davos

• Kirchner. Picasso
• 15 February – 3 May 2026

Kunstmuseum St. Gallen

• Delcy Morelos
• 21 March – 12 July 2026
• Urs Frei
• 25 April – 13 September 2026
• Manosphere. Masculinity Today
• 3 October 2026 – 28 February 2027

MASI Lugano

• K‑NOW! Korean Video Art Today
• 8 March – 19 July 2026
• Umberto Boccioni
• 7 August 2026 – 24 January 2027

Winterthur

• Paul Mpagi Sepuya – In the Gaze of Desire (Fotomuseum Winterthur)
• 28 February – 14 June 2026
• Andri Pol – Poliversum (Swiss Photo Foundation)
• 27 June – 6 December 2026

Don’t miss a thing — we’ll keep you up to date!

Sign up for our newsletter.