Fondation Beyeler

Fondation Beyeler lies in Riehen, a village-like municipality that borders Basel on the north-east side, and it is one of the most visited art museums in Switzerland. The museum is built around the private collection assembled by the Basel art dealer Ernst Beyeler and his wife Hildy, who spent decades buying work of the highest quality and seldom selling it. The building opened in 1997 and was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who produced a long, low, rectangular structure with a thin roof and generous walls of glass and stone.

The setting matters as much as the architecture. The museum sits in the Berower Park, and the building's long glass façade looks straight out onto a landscape of lawns, trees and a water-lily pond. Galleries are flooded with natural light, and in places the interior seems to continue into the park outdoors. Monet's large water-lily paintings hang in a room that looks out over the real pond, a combination that few museums can offer. Sculptures and installations are spread across the grounds, and Villa Berower, a historic house in the park, hosts the restaurant, so a visit can include a meal outside in good weather.

The permanent collection is a compact survey of modern art rather than an encyclopaedic one. It includes works by Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Alberto Giacometti, among others, and it also contains pieces of art from Africa and Oceania, which Beyeler admired and collected alongside European painting. Because the collection is small, the display is edited with care, and you can see everything on view in a sensible visit.

Alongside the permanent holdings, the foundation presents major temporary exhibitions, with a strong programme of single-artist retrospectives and thematic shows. Recent years have included large shows devoted to Yayoi Kusama, Marlene Dumas, Gerhard Richter and other prominent artists, and exhibitions often draw large crowds, so booking tickets in advance is a sensible step. The museum also runs guided tours, readings, talks and concerts, and it publishes catalogues that are admired for their quality.

Getting there is simple. Tram line 6 runs from central Basel to Riehen, and one of its stops is named after the museum, so the trip takes only a short ride from the city centre. Riehen also has the Wenkenhof gardens and the Museum Kultur & Spiel, and the walk through the village is pleasant, so it is worth leaving a little extra time.

The museum suits art enthusiasts, architecture followers, and visitors who like to combine culture with a walk in the park. Allow two to three hours for the permanent collection plus an exhibition, check admission and opening hours on the official website before travelling, and avoid weekends if you prefer a quieter experience.