Art should not only serve to please, but also to question, stir consciences and break taboos. The city of Basel knows a lot about this, and not just because it hosts one of the most important contemporary art exhibitions in the world. In fact, this small town overlooking the Rhine organizes exhibitions that take you out of your comfort zone all year round and are complemented by groundbreaking conceptual architecture. To discover it, we have selected some of the essential artistic stops for the coming months and also the places to rest and eat between museums.
The imposing Kunstmuseum Basel was the first art center open to the public, in 1661. Far from remaining in the glories of the past and living off the income from masterpieces, this cultural space does not stop innovating and growing. In the physical field, expanding its headquarters to an adjoining building; in the conceptual field, proposing temporary exhibitions that address very current issues. It is an example of Feminism fun, a new look at the museum’s collection that vindicates the role of women artists, with works by Guerrilla Girls, Pipilotti Rist and Martha Rosler. The Born in Ukraine exhibition, for its part, reviews the work of some thirty Ukrainian artists and at the same time protects their works from possible destruction, due to the current war (until July 2).
Once on the street, you can activate the free ARTour Basel app to discover a dozen augmented reality works that are hidden in the center of the city, on a journey that combines the digital and real world. The exit can also be used to admire the architectural jewels of Basel, such as the Novartis Pavillon by Michele de Lucchi or the work of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron in the Roche towers and in the Basel Fair, whose magnetic central hole is known as “the window to heaven”.
The Beyeler Foundation is another of the obligatory stops on the artistic route. Housed in a masterful building by Renzo Piano, the private collection of Ernst and Hildy Beyeler includes classic, modern and contemporary works that can be discovered through temporary exhibitions. These days, for example, there is an exhibition dedicated to the North American Wayne Thiebaud, known for his colorful still lifes of cakes, ice creams and hot dogs that arouse both hunger and nostalgia (until 5/21). You can also walk through the installation Palimpsest, by the Colombian Doris Salcedo, whose name refers to the manuscripts reused hundreds of times as a basis for reflecting on refugees and migrants who die trying to reach Europe (until 9/17).
About four kilometers across the border that separates Switzerland from Germany, there is another essential artistic complex. Although it seems abandoned in the middle of the countryside, the Vitra Campus concentrates a large part of the elite of contemporary architecture, with buildings by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando, ??among others. Currently, exhibitions such as Hello, Robot. Design Between Human and Machine explore how robotics have infiltrated our daily lives (through 3/5), while Sabine Marcelis’ installation Color Rush! rearranges the Vitra exhibition warehouse by color, connecting different eras and styles in amazing fashion (through 5/14).
We can take advantage of the visit to Basel to discover bakeries, gourmet shops and classic and innovative restaurants that bring us closer to the gastronomy of the city. The Food Tour initiative, for example, makes it possible to make a first culinary contact. This self-guided proposal lasts about three hours and stops at the Bäckerei Kult bakery, which specializes in the Basel Gold cake, a Swiss classic; in the Basel Unverpackt food and sustainable products store, which is increasingly booming; at the vibrant Klara international food-court, which features innovative proposals from cuisines from around the world; and in the hundred-year-old and essential store Jakob’s Basler Leckerly, which makes the best-known gingerbread in the region.
For a snack, it is worth visiting Unternehmen Mitte, the largest cafeteria in the town, which focuses on organic and local ingredients and is located in an old and imposing bank. Another option is the small Xocolatl shop, dedicated to fair trade chocolate from different countries, which has an indoor cafeteria where you can taste cakes, cookies and one of the best broken chocolates in Basel.
As far as restaurants are concerned, and if you prefer traditional food, a good option is Walliser Kanne, an establishment that takes us to the Swiss canton of Valais with copious fondues that follow a secret recipe and include versions with champagne. If you prefer a contemporary, modern and casual fusion cuisine, Lily’s restaurant embroiders various Asian recipes in a cosmopolitan and relaxed environment.
