Kunstmuseum Bern

The Kunstmuseum Bern is the oldest public art museum in Switzerland, founded in 1879, and holds a collection of around 4,000 paintings and 48,000 works on paper. The permanent collection covers Swiss and European art from the 14th century to the present. There is a notable holding of Swiss Expressionism, works by Ferdinand Hodler and Paul Klee (though the main Klee collection is at Zentrum Paul Klee), and a good selection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist canvases.

The museum is in the Länggasse neighbourhood, a short walk north of the main station. The building is a respectable 19th-century civic structure rather than an architectural statement. A connecting walk leads to the Kornhausforum cultural centre and back down to the Old Town. The museum runs occasional evening events and has a decent café.

things to do museum
A story
In 2014, the Kunstmuseum inherited one of the most controversial art collections in history: the Gurlitt bequest, over 1,500 works assembled by the art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt and his son Cornelius, suspected of including Nazi-looted art. The museum was given the collection on condition that it investigate every work's provenance — a task that took years and generated international media attention. Several works have since been returned to the families from whom they were stolen.