Page 37 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Fall/Winter 2024

BASEL Ease and Easel
BY KAREN BURSHTEIN
Switzerland’s third largest city is renowned for Art Basel, the international art fair circled on every art lover and col- lector’s calendar. Acclaimed by the New York Times as “The Olympics of the Art World,” Art Basel, created in the disco ’70s, has spawned art fairs worldwide. But this exhibition is the original with an electric energy that delights even visitors not looking to purchase a Hockney or Basquiat.
Basel’s Creativity is in
Play All Year Round
Spend a few days here and realize how deserving Basel is of its title “Cultural Capital” of Switzerland. Basel has the highest density of museums in Europe with art for all tastes including kinetic sculptures at the Tinguely Museum and satire at the Cartoon Museum.
Include the glassy, brick-trimmed Renzo Piano-designed Fondation Beyeler for conceptual and crowd-pleasing museum exhibitions. On dis- play until January 2025, view the serene and vibrant quality of Matisse’s paintings at the first Swiss show dedicated to the artist in decades.
At the Kunstmuseum Basel gaze at Renais- sance art masterpieces. Extraordinary works by Hans Holbein “the Younger,” purchased by the municipality in the 17th century, make this one of the world’s earliest public collections.
More Art? Yes Please, and Wine
Savour Rhine Valley wines on a fabulous Wine and Art Basel E-Bike tour. Pedal over mostly flat terrain offering sumptuous views of three coun- tries (Switzerland, Germany and France). Make a stop at the Vitra Design Museum and see public art installations along the way.
On a city stroll, you’ll view modern architec- ture including one of the buildings that garnered a prestigious Pritzker Prize, the highest honour in the field. No surprise that Basel is home to the Swiss Architecture Museum.
A Blend of Historic and Modern
Historical Basel and its Renaissance and Gothic architecture await in the Old Town. Explore the awe-inspiring Minster Cathedral built between the 11th and 15th centuries. Visit it via the Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge), one of the oldest bridges in Basel, crossing the Rhine. But don’t be sur- prised if a contemporary art installation appears on the bridge. The Mittlere often becomes another art space springing to life a fine-looking mix of Basel old and new. DS
TRAVEL PLANNER
For more travel information about Basel, see Basel.com
DID YOU KNOW?
You could exhibit your own “collection” at a local museum. A compact window in the door of a 600-year-old house in Old Town houses the smallest museum you might ever see. Pants Pocket Museum (Hooseagg Museum) houses temporary collections of miniature
stuff that could fit in a pants pocket. Think Pez dispensers, sunglasses, doorbells. Anyone with a collection of 30 items or more can exhibit at the Pants Pocket Museum.
FALL/WINTER 2024 DREAMSCAPES 37
PHOTOS: SWITZERLAND TOURISM/ANDRE MEIER | SWITZERLAND TOURISM/JAN GEERK
The BaselCard is a free visitor card offered to overnight guests. Enjoy complimentary public transit including a 50 percent discount on attractions.