Claude Monet visits the cultural metropolis – Basel invites you on a cultural city break

Basel lies at the tripoint of Switzerland, Germany, and France, and has therefore developed into a true trinational agglomeration – a melting pot of three nationalities. Around 180,000 people now live in the city of Basel alone. Above all, however, this major Swiss city is known for its top-class cultural offerings.

Besides a globally unique density of museums with numerous renowned collections and special exhibitions, it is above all "Art Basel" as one of the world's most important art fairs that confirms Basel's reputation as a respected art metropolis

Furthermore, the city on the Rhine captivates its visitors with a wealth of masterpieces of modern architecture. Within these buildings, one can still sense the multifaceted history of this metropolis. The well-preserved old town, in particular, with its numerous historic houses and buildings dating back to the 15th century, fascinates not only architecture and history enthusiasts. These factors make Basel a popular destination for short trips and city breaks.

As an added bonus, countless excursion opportunities in and around Basel offer the chance to explore the tri-border region. The mild Mediterranean climate on the southern Rhine further enhances the experience, making your stay a truly wonderful one.

That would already be reason enough to book your next city break to Basel. This spring, however, the Fondation Beyeler offering a special highlight for all art lovers to mark its 20th anniversary: ​​a special exhibition in honor of one of the greatest Impressionists and one of the most important and popular artists of all time – Claude Monet.

Claude Monet – Pioneer of Modern Painting

The French painter is considered a great pioneer who opened the door wide to modern painting and opened our eyes to a new way of looking at the world.

We owe many postcard motifs to this painter, because many of his paintings are simply incredibly beautiful – a celebration of light and color.

It took a long time for Monet's life to achieve a stability in which the creation of such beautiful pictures would have seemed appropriate; in his youth, his life was so dominated by deprivation and worries that he could only have painted beautiful things as a form of compensation.

The tide only turned when the painter returned home from military service after contracting typhus and entered the studio of Charles Gleyre. There he learned and painted alongside Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley until the studio closed in July 1864.

Throughout this time, Monet was dependent on his family's money. This seemed to change initially when he was able to exhibit a flower still life at the municipal art exhibition in Rouen in 1864 and received several portrait commissions from a wealthy shipowner. Nevertheless, his financial problems persisted.

It was only from 1870 onwards that the painter's situation improved, when Monet moved to London before being drafted to participate in the Franco-Prussian War and there met the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who acquired several of Monet's paintings .

At the same time, Monet's father died; with the inheritance, he rented a house with a garden in Argenteuil and set up a boat as a studio; for the first time, Monet was able to enjoy a life of bourgeois prosperity.

What followed was an incredibly productive period that provided us with the many vibrant images we know and appreciate today.

The special exhibition «Claude Monet» at the Fondation Beyeler

The special exhibition Claude Monet, which the Fondation Beyeler from January 22nd to May 28th , is considered the undisputed exhibition highlight in the Basel museums in 2017.

This exhibition at Switzerland's most visited art museum, on the occasion of his 20th birthday, showcases and illuminates the artistic development of the French painter from the Impressionist to his famous late work.

So if you have a free weekend to plan and some interest in art, then a city trip to the heart of Europe could reward you with a wonderful cultural journey full of light, brilliance and joy of color.

Blog Marketing ad by JKS Media