Bündner Kunstmuseum

The Bündner Kunstmuseum occupies two connected buildings on the edge of the old town: a 19th-century villa and a bold modern extension by architect Barozzi Veiga, opened in 2016. The collection focuses on art from Graubünden and the wider Alpine region, with particular strength in the Giacometti family — Alberto, Giovanni, and Augusto — and in the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who spent much of his later career in the nearby Davos valley. The result is one of the best regional art museums in Switzerland.

The permanent collection moves from 18th-century Alpine landscapes through 19th-century realism and into 20th-century modernism, with the Giacometti rooms the clear highlight. The temporary exhibition programme is ambitious and changes several times a year. The modern extension adds generous gallery space without overwhelming the villa, and the connection between the two buildings is handled deftly.

Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays. Entry is charged. The museum café in the modern wing serves coffee and a simple lunch menu.

things to do museum art
A story
The Giacometti who comes to mind is Alberto, the sculptor. But Chur's Kunstmuseum holds a substantial collection of work by his father Giovanni and his uncle Augusto, both significant painters in the Swiss post-Impressionist tradition — a reminder that artistic talent in the Giacometti family ran several generations deep and in more directions than thin bronze figures.

Other places in Things to Do