Catalogue of the Collection Masterpieces

The Kunstmuseum Bern owns an outstanding collection of Western art of national and international renown. The collection has been constantly growing since the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen were founded in 1806 and the museum building was opened in 1879. 

175 masterpieces were selected from the immense holdings of over 3,000 paintings, sculptures, and objects, among them high-caliber Swiss and international art from the late 13th century to the present – from Duccio di Buoninsegna to Pipilotti Rist. 48,000 drawings, prints, photographs, videos, and films were not considered in favor of forthcoming research. The catalogue elucidates the masterpieces consistent with the latest findings in art-historical research. For this purpose 68 Swiss and international experts have contributed the latest in recent research on 135 artists as well as scholarly essays. 

Besides the highlights of European art history – ordered chronologically and according to artists – the catalogue of the collection also comprises a historical survey of the genesis of the Kunstmuseum Bern and its collection. 

Editors: Matthias Frehner and Valentina Locatelli

Sponsors and support: The publication of the catalogue was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ursula Wirz Foundation; the Credit Suisse, partner of the Kunstmuseum Bern; and the Burgergemeinde Bern.

Kunstmuseum Bern. Meisterwerke
Hg. von Matthias Frehner und Valentina Locatelli
Mit Beiträgen von H. Eipeldauer, U. Fleckner, M. Frehner, M. Haldemann, A. Hüneke, V. Locatelli, B. Stutzer, R. Koella, C. Wagner u. a. Hirmer Verlag, München, 2016.460 Seiten, 203 Abbildungen in Farbe 24 x 30 cm, gebunden
ISBN: 978-3-7774-2628-0

Englische Ausgabe:Kunstmuseum Bern. Masterpieces
ISBN: 978-3-7774-2629-7

Available at our Shop.