August
01
Aug / Friday / 11am - 6pm
Opening hours
We are open today from 11am - 6pm.
02
Aug / Saturday / 2pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
02
Aug / Saturday / from 2 pm
Writing Pictures
Be inspired by the world of Irène Zurkinden and create your own unique postcard at the intersection of image and text. Drawing from Zurkinden’s writings and sketches, feel invited to explore the poetic space between word and image—just as she did. A creative encounter that celebrates intimate expression, visual storytelling, and the enduring charm of correspondence. Participation is free of charge, no registration needed.
07
Aug / Thursday / 5pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
09
Aug / Saturday / 2pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
09
Aug / Saturday / from 2 pm
Writing Pictures
Be inspired by the world of Irène Zurkinden and create your own unique postcard at the intersection of image and text. Drawing from Zurkinden’s writings and sketches, feel invited to explore the poetic space between word and image—just as she did. A creative encounter that celebrates intimate expression, visual storytelling, and the enduring charm of correspondence. Participation is free of charge, no registration needed.
14
Aug / Thursday / 5pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
16
Aug / Saturday / 2pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
20
Aug / Wednesday / 5 pm
Irène Zurkinden through the eyes of… Ariane Koch and Garrick Lauterbach
Author and artist Ariane Koch and director Garrick Lauterbach take a closer look at the handwritten notes, fragments, and poetics tucked within Irène Zurkinden’s sketchbooks. These texts—personal, observational, and at times enigmatic—offer a literary dimension to Zurkinden’s visual world which Koch and Lauterbach explore to show how language and image intertwine in the artist’s practice, opening up new ways of reading Zurkinden’s work through voice, memory, and narrative, and how these can be transcribed for the screen. The event will take place in German, participation is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
21
Aug / Thursday / 5pm
Curator's Tour
Join co-curator Rebecca Eigen for a tour that explores the importance of Zurkinden’s works. Gain a behind-the-scenes look at the curatorial process and discover how Zurkinden’s sketches and paintings continue to resonate today. The tour reveals how the sketchbooks are more than merley studies–they open a window onto Zurkinden’s world of obersavitions, filled with personal reflections, and fragments of everyday life. These visual notes offer a deepened understanding of Zurkinden’s paintings, revealing powerful links between private expression and public artistry. The tour highlights how strikingly modern Zurkinden’s vision was—thoughtful, boundary-pushing, and ahead of its time. The tour will be held in German and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
23
Aug / Saturday / 2pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
28
Aug / Thursday / 5pm
Public Guided Tour in English
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in English, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
29
Aug / Friday / 11 am - 6 pm
KUNSTTAGE BASEL
As part of the Kunsttage Basel, the exhibition «Irène Zurkinden: Love, Life» will be open from 10 am - 6 pm.
30
Aug / Saturday / 10 am - 6 pm
KUNSTTAGE BASEL
As part of the Kunsttage Basel, the exhibition «Irène Zurkinden: Love, Life» will be open from 10 am - 6 pm.
30
Aug / Saturday / 2pm
Public Guided Tour
Gain insight into the multifaceted work of Swiss artist Irène Zurkinden. From intimate sketches on paper to expressive paintings, this tour traces her artistic journey and reveals how radically modern her vision was—both then and now. Discover how Zurkinden questioned stereotypes, redefined roles, and developed a distinctive visual language that resonates across time. The tour will be held in German, and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
30
Aug / Saturday / 10am - 6pm
Sketchbooks
Get inspired by Irène Zurkinden’s intimate artistic practice and craft your own sketchbook in this hands-on workshop. From folding pages to binding and personalizing the cover, you’ll create a space for your own observations, drawings, and reflections—just as Zurkinden did. A creative invitation to slow down, look closely, and begin your own visual diary.
31
Aug / Sunday / 2pm
Curator's Tour
Join co-curator Rebecca Eigen for a tour that explores the importance of Zurkinden’s works. Gain a behind-the-scenes look at the curatorial process and discover how Zurkinden’s sketches and paintings continue to resonate today. The tour reveals how the sketchbooks are more than merley studies–they open a window onto Zurkinden’s world of obersavitions, filled with personal reflections, and fragments of everyday life. These visual notes offer a deepened understanding of Zurkinden’s paintings, revealing powerful links between private expression and public artistry. The tour highlights how strikingly modern Zurkinden’s vision was—thoughtful, boundary-pushing, and ahead of its time. The tour will be held in German and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
31
Aug / Sunday / 11am - 12.30pm
Irène Zurkinden: the Films
Join us for a cinematic journey into the life and work of Irène Zurkinden, featuring a screening of Le Matou Magnifique—a film conceived in connection with the exhibition. This poetic work invites viewers into a world where fiction and memory, past and present, playfully intertwine. The evening also includes the 1968 documentary Irène Zurkinden by Swiss filmmaker Bernhard Raith, as well as rare fragments from a dinner conversation between Irène Zurkinden, Meret Oppenheim, and Christoph Bernoulli—offering an intimate glimpse into the artistic circles of the time.
Doors open at 10:45 am, with the screening starting at 11 am. The event will be held in German, participation is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
31
Aug / Sunday / 11 am - 6 pm
KUNSTTAGE BASEL
As part of the Kunsttage Basel, the exhibition «Irène Zurkinden: Love, Life» will be open from 10 am - 6 pm.
September
01
Sep / Monday / 5 pm
Irène Zurkinden through the eyes of… Quinn Latimer
Writer and editor Quinn Latimer (Head of the Master’s Program Fine Arts, HGK Basel) offers a perspective on Irène Zurkinden’s work that focuses on questions of the body, identity, and the roles assigned to women—both on and off the canvas. Latimer’s reflections trace how Zurkinden’s modern gaze subtly challenged conventions, using gesture, form, and intimacy to redefine modes of representation. A thoughtful reading of an artist who quietly but powerfully reshaped the visual language of her time. The event will take place in English, participation is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch
04
Sep / Thursday / from 5pm
Irène Zurkinden through the eyes of… Q.U.I.C.H.E.
Over the course of the exhibition, members of the semi-anonymous writing collective Q.U.I.C.H.E., founded in Basel in 2023, came together in the exhibition space for collective reflection. From a queer perspective and informed by the various roles the members occupy within the art and cultural sphere, texts emerged that, together with Zurkinden, explore how to speak about art beyond institutionalized discourses. The texts, collected in a zine, will be presented during the event. The zine launch will be accompanied by a short guided tour led by members of the collective. The event will be held in German and is free of charge. Registration at: info@kbhg.ch
06
Sep / Saturday / 2pm
Curator's Tour
Join co-curator Rebecca Eigen for a tour that explores the importance of Zurkinden’s works. Gain a behind-the-scenes look at the curatorial process and discover how Zurkinden’s sketches and paintings continue to resonate today. The tour reveals how the sketchbooks are more than merley studies–they open a window onto Zurkinden’s world of obersavitions, filled with personal reflections, and fragments of everyday life. These visual notes offer a deepened understanding of Zurkinden’s paintings, revealing powerful links between private expression and public artistry. The tour highlights how strikingly modern Zurkinden’s vision was—thoughtful, boundary-pushing, and ahead of its time. The tour will be held in German and is free of charge. Registration via: info@kbhg.ch