Collection profile

In the years since its creation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation has acquired almost 6,400 works of art for Swiss museums. While the initial focus was international, since the start of the 20th century the Commission has purchased only works that have a link to Swiss art or collection history. Often, the aim has been to secure important objects for a Swiss museum before they were sold abroad, or to buy back Swiss art that had been exported. The result is one of the most significant collections of Swiss art from the 12th to the 20th centuries, in which all genres of fine and applied art are represented, from paintings, graphic works, drawings, manuscripts and sculptures to liturgical objects, textiles, ceramics, metal ware, and even furnishings. Whole properties such as St. Georgen Abbey in Stein am Rhein and Wülflingen Castle in Winterthur once belonged to the GKF, but these were relinquished at a later date.

Jean-Francois de Troy, Diana and Actaeon, oil on canvas, 1734, Kunstmuseum Basel (acquired in 1901), shown in the background at the center of the photo, Photo: Simon Schmid, SNL.

Further informations

Die Kunstsammlungen des Bundes