Introduction

Zürich Art Weekend is an annual event that transforms Switzerland's largest city into a vibrant hub of contemporary art each June. Established in 2018, this weekend-long celebration takes place the week before Art Basel, strategically positioning Zürich as an essential stop on the international art circuit and highlighting its significance in the global art landscape.

The event brings together the city's diverse art ecosystem—from major institutions and influential galleries to experimental off-spaces and independent publishers—creating a concentrated platform for artistic exchange and discovery. Taking place across more than 65 venues throughout Zürich, it offers visitors a comprehensive view of the city's rich cultural offerings through exhibitions, performances, talks, and special events.

Free and open to the public, Zürich Art Weekend facilitates access to culture and sheds new light on the art scene of Switzerland's cultural and economic capital. The event serves as a catalyst that envisions Zürich as a place for experiences and encounters, a thriving hub for the arts where diverse voices converge.

Event Structure

Zürich Art Weekend adopts a decentralized approach to its programming, creating a city-wide art experience that encourages exploration and discovery. The event unfolds across more than 65 venues throughout Zürich, including major museums, commercial galleries, off-spaces, and other art institutions. This distributed structure reflects the city's diverse art ecosystem and allows for a wide range of artistic expressions to be showcased simultaneously.

The programming is carefully curated to offer a balance between established and emerging artists, traditional and experimental practices, and local and international perspectives. Each participating venue contributes to the weekend by organizing exhibitions, performances, talks, guided tours, and other activities that collectively form a cohesive yet diverse art experience.

To help visitors navigate this wealth of offerings, Zürich Art Weekend provides free public passes, detailed program booklets, and information points at key locations throughout the city, including the Löwenbräukunst arts complex, Kunsthaus Zürich, Helmhaus, and Museum Rietberg. Additionally, the organizers map out geographical routes that optimize the visitor's journey through Zürich's art landscape, enabling them to experience multiple venues efficiently while discovering the city itself.

Event Types

Zürich Art Weekend offers a diverse program of over 130 events that cater to various interests and levels of art engagement. These range from formal presentations to interactive experiences, creating multiple entry points for visitors to connect with contemporary art.

History & Context

Zürich Art Weekend emerged in 2018 as a strategic initiative to consolidate and amplify the city's position on the international art map. Founded as a non-profit organization, it was conceived to bring together Zürich's major public and private art institutions through collaborative events and initiatives. The timing of the event—occurring the weekend before Art Basel, Switzerland's premier art fair—was carefully chosen to attract the global art community already traveling to the region.

The founding of Zürich Art Weekend reflects broader developments in the city's art scene over the past few decades. Zürich has long been a significant cultural center, with institutions like the Kunsthaus Zürich (Switzerland's largest art museum) and a dense network of commercial galleries. The transformation of former industrial spaces like the Löwenbräu brewery into arts complexes in the 1990s and early 2000s marked a new chapter for the city's contemporary art landscape, creating concentrated hubs for artistic production and presentation.

Key Venues

Zürich Art Weekend encompasses a wide variety of spaces across the city, from established museums to experimental project spaces. These venues collectively showcase the diversity and depth of Zürich's art ecosystem, creating a comprehensive cultural experience for visitors.

Kunsthaus Zürich

Switzerland's largest art museum with collections ranging from Medieval to contemporary art, housed in buildings by architects Karl Moser and David Chipperfield.

Löwenbräukunst

Former brewery converted into a major art center housing institutions like Kunsthalle Zürich, galleries including Hauser & Wirth, and Museum Haus Konstruktiv.

Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

Institution dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and mediating contemporary art, supporting experimental artistic practices.

Helmhaus

Historic exhibition space in the heart of the city focused on showcasing Swiss contemporary art.