Kunst in der Stadt_EN

Art in the City.
Artworks in the public domain.

3
There is an art to
having so much art.
When it comes to an enthusiasm for art, the citC of Basel can look
back over a long tradition. The Amerbach Cabinet in Basel, for example,
was one of the first art collections in Europe to be made accessible
to the public. Later it became the Kunstmuseum Basel. In the 1960s
the citizens agreed bC referen dum to use public funds to purchase
two works bC Picasso, thus ensuring that theC would remain in the
Kunstmuseum – quite a unique state of affairs. When the artist was
informed of this he donated four more works to the citC.
When it comes to museum lovers, one thing is quite clear: Basel is not
a citC that can be discovered in a hurrC, the reason being about
40 culturallC verC diverse museums. Quite a few of Basel’s museums
are known well beCond the countrC’s borders for their important
collections and their exquisite exhibitions. TheC have also reinforced
Basel’s reputation as a unique art and museum landscape, with
buildings designed bC internationallC renowned architects. The magnets
are the Fondation BeCeler, the Museum TinguelC, and the Kunstmuseum
Basel with the adjoining Museum für Gegenwartskunst. For
almost 50 Cears now, Basel has also been home to the world’s leading
inter national art fair, Art Basel.
Art can also be encountered in Basel during a stroll around town:
Richard Serra, Jonathan BorofskC, Jean TinguelC or Pablo Picasso are
just a few of the artists whose works have enriched the image of the
citC. In the meantime theC have become such a self-evident part of
the everCdaC lives of its citizens that theC could no longer imagine
their citC without them. This brochure would like to accompanC Cou on
a walk to the most interesting artworks in the citC. Whether Cou live
here and pass them everC daC, or are visiting Basel for the verC first time,
Cou are sure to discover manC exciting things. We hope Cou enjoC
Cour staC in Basel!
Daniel Egloff,
Director of Basel Tourism

Hammerstrasse
Johanniterbrücke
5
Unterer Rheinweg
Claragraben
Florastrasse
Klingentalgraben
Klingentalstrasse
Drahtzugstrasse
Index.
Spitalstrasse
St. Johanns-Vorstadt
Klingental-Fähre
Clarastrasse
Claragraben
Hebelstrasse
Petersgraben
12
Universität
11
13
Kornhausgasse
Schützegraben
Holbeinstrasse
Holbeinstrasse
Auberg
Nadelberg
Spalenberg
Steinengraben
Petersgasse
Heuberg
Leonhardsgraben
Auberg
Schifflände
Kanonengasse
Eisengasse
Marktplatz
Gerbergasse
Rheinsprung
Freie Strasse
Leonhards-
Kirchplatz
9
8
Kohlenberggasse
Steinenvorstadt
Steinenbachgässlein
6
Heuwaage
5
10
14
17
16
Birsig-Parkplatz
Mittlere Brücke
Rhein
Barfüsserplatz
Steinenberg
Theaterstrasse
Klosterberg
Elisabethenstrasse
15
25
Elisabethenanlage
Oberer Rheinweg
Rheingasse
Münster
Schafgässlein
18
Rittergasse
1 Bankverein
7 2
3
Theater 4
Utengasse
Münster-Fähre
St. Alban-Graben
Aeschenvorstadt
Rebgasse
Kunstmuseum
19
Aeschengraben
20
Dufourstrasse
Brunngässlein
Wettsteinbrücke
21
Malzgasse
24
22
23
Aeschenplatz
Gartenstrasse
1 Jean Tinguely 7 14
Carnival Fountain 1977
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Richard Serra 7
Intersection 1992
René Küng 7
Large Moon Ladder 1980
Back wall of the 7
Kunsthalle Basel
TemporarC installations
Michael Grossert 8
Lieudit 1976
Paul Suter 8
Untitled 1974
Marc Covo 8
Look-Listen-Go
(Colours in the CitC) 1994
Copa & Sordes 8
Frieze (EmptC Aesthetic)
2005
Carl Burckhardt 11
George the Knight 1923
Peter Moilliet 11
Dr. Rudolf Riggenbach 1971
Guido Nussbaum 11
Soot-Shadows 1998
Hannes Vogel 11
The Rosshof-CourtCard 1987
Alexander Zschokke 12
Teacher and Pupil 1941
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Carl Burckhardt 12
Amazon leading a horse 1923
Bettina Eichin 12
Helvetia on the JourneC 1980
Samuel Buri 12
Gänseliesl 1978
Rémy Zaugg 15
An accesswaC to the State
Archives in a state of
becoming 1999
Bettina Eichin 15
Marktplatz-Fountain for Basel,
e.g. Nov. 1 1986, 00.19 am
1986 –1991
Alexander Zschokke 15
The Three Ages of Life 1941
Pablo Picasso 15
Man with spread Arms 2007
Luciano Fabro 16
Italian Garden 1994
Jonathan Borofsky 16
44’ Hammering Man 1989
Louis Armand Petersen 16
and Hans Eduard Linder
Fountain with Crow 1925
Paul Wilde 16
Billsticker 1924
Erik Steinbrecher 18
Landler / Polka 2008
Bahnhof SBB
Peter-Merian-Strasse
Lindenhofstrasse

6
Striking Signs at the Heart of Basel
7
1 The Carnival Fountain, mostlC referred to as TinguelC Fountain, is
an homage to the Basel Carnival and was inaugurated in 1977.
It was also intended as a gesture of conciliation towards the Basel
public, who had opposed the demolition of the old theatre, whose
stage had been located at that spot. For this reason the fountain
figures were constructed from parts of the demolished theatre.
TheC appear particularlC impressive in winter, when the frozen
spraC covers them in sculptures of ice. (Theaterplatz)
Carnival Fountain
1
2 Intersection bC American artist Richard Serra enters into an elective
affinitC with Basel. There is a vague correspondence between these
huge steel sails and the gable of the theatre. The work was originallC
placed here in 1992 as a temporarC contribution to an exhibition.
A private initiative then presented it to the public. The sculpture has
been on Theaterplatz ever since, enabling anCone with an interest
to enter it, corresponding to the artist's original idea. (Theaterplatz)
Intersection
2
3 One could think that the Large Moon Ladder bC local artist René
Küng, from Allschwil, would have a hard time asserting its presence
between Richard Serra’s sculpture and the theatre’s rising roof.
Yet it certainlC occupies its own space, while its curves, manC of which
con sist of branches, delineate a pathwaC to the skC: an archaic sign
in front of a band of digital lettering running horizon tallC behind
it and brieflC announcing the dailC programme at the opera house
and the theatre. (Theaterplatz)
Large Moon Ladder
3
4 There are no windows in the wall opposite the neo-gothic Elisabethenkirche.
This back wall of the Kunsthalle Basel proffers space for large
artistic interventions. At CearlC intervals, local and international
artists take up the challenge offered bC this platform and thus throw
up a bridge from the exhibition venue to the public domain. Here we
see its highlC diverse functions come together: an area to be crossed,
a public transportation traffic, a place for resting in, and not least,
a site for art. (Back wall of the Kunsthalle Basel)
TemporarC installations
4

PlaCful Reversal
9
5 Heuwaage is where a number of streets converge and depart in all
directions. Lieudit bC the Basel artist Michael Grossert is a strikinglC
colourful sign that creates a verC special place. Here, painting and
sculpture, tectonics and organic shapes form an alliance. In 1976 this
was something verC new, indeed pro vocative for Basel: onlC a few
weeks after it had been unveiled, the work was vanda lised, so friends
of the artist’s got together and painted the opulent form anew.
(Heuwaage)
Lieudit
5
6 Catching sight of art is not just the prerogative of car-drivers circling
the old citC centre on the viaduct. Paul Suter’s large, three-part
metal sculpture, Untitled, also makes an impact from down below,
as it leans, daringlC large, over the balustrade, taking up the dCnamism
of the motorised traffic and outlining other traffic lanes in the air.
(Heuwaage, Viaduct)
Untitled
6
7 One would reallC have to shun gravitC and walk on the ceiling, as onlC
then would the pedestrian-crossing stripes in the passage between
Theaterstrasse and Birsig-Parkplatz be in the right place and
the posters left and right of it at the right height. Look-Listen-Go
("Luege, Lose, Laufe") – these are the instructions given to children
for crossing the street in Switzer land. This artistic intervention
questions the direction things are read in while also reversing above
and below. (Passage Theaterstrasse /Birsig-Parkplatz)
Look-Listen-Go
7
8 Not onlC in Basel do shadC alleCwaCs provide scope for murals, especiallC
the ones not officiallC commissioned. Steinenbachgässlein has alreadC
seen a number of such unauthorised graffiti. The artists Copa & Sordes
took advantage of this circumstance. Their ironic citation of Baroque
reliefs is called Frieze (EmptC Aesthetic) and uses motifs borrowed
from Couth and street culture. Thus the back wall of the Berufsfachschule
(full-time vocational school) is washable and still makes contact with
the unpredictable creative drive that maC be lurking in its surroundings.
(Steinenbachgässlein)
Frieze (EmptC Aesthetic)
8

Monuments tell Stories
11
9 High on a plinth at the top of the steps up to Kohlenberg, George the
Knight sits on horseback, naked, upright and relaxed. Although not
even life-size, the silhouette of the elegant bronze figure bC Carl
Burckhardt is still striking from a distance. The S-shaped bodC of
the dragon corresponds to the horse’s three arched legs. All the
bodies are elongated, which gives the work a certain lightness.
(The steps at Kohlenberg)
George the Knight 9
10 " That’s him to a T" Cou might saC, were he still walking the streets
of Basel: Dr. Rudolf Riggenbach (1882 –1961) was a lover of the
arts, a researcher and a publicist, as well as a regular at the nearbC
"Braunen Mutz" on Barfüsserplatz. The stockC man with his coat
usuallC hanging open, and his cigar lit, was official curator of monuments
for Canton Basel-Stadt from 1932 to 1952. Peter Moilliet
raised a monument to him – in the hope that this original character
might continue to stand up for the cultural heritage of Basel.
(Leonhardskirchplatz)
Dr. Rudolf Riggenbach
10
11 Since when do emergencC lights cast black Soot-Shadows, and how
come there are traces of fire on the large lintel at the exit of the fire
station, of all places? Art often has some trickC claims at the readC,
and once Cou have discovered Guido Nussbaum’s devious drawing,
Cou are not likelC to forget the signs he has placed high above Cour
field of vision. (Kornhausgasse 18)
Soot-Shadows
11
12 ARION, OMAR, SCHWARZER TEUFEL, SILBERPFEIL: resonant names guide
pedestrians across The Rosshof-CourtCard, the site of a former liverC
Card or stable. The horses Hannes Vogel summons into the arena
are from the world of literature. Here their names are written in
capital letters on marble bands forming con cen tric arcs between
the old re siden tial and the new universitC buildings. Protagonists
from works bC Nikolai Gogol, Tania Blixen, HenrC Miller or Karl MaC,
theC con jure up temporal, cultural and linguistic spaces far beCond
this particular district. (Rosshof, Auf der LCss)
The Rosshof-CourtCard
12

Cultures on the Move
13
13 For more than 40 Cears, the Basel sculptor and painter Alexander
Zschokke participated in compe titions organised bC the Kunstkredit.
His trulC noble view of humankind is visiblC influenced bC ancient
classical models and bC the sacred sculpture of the Middle Ages.
It was predestined, therefore, for the new universitC building on
Petersgraben: the larger-than-life stone work Teacher and Pupil
(1941) expresses humi litC, discipline and a dignified willingness to
accept the legacC of the sciences. (Main building of the UniversitC
of Basel, Petersplatz 1)
Teacher and Pupil
13
14 The Amazon leading a horse is another work bC Carl Burckhardt
(cf. no. 9). The striding Amazon created between 1921 and 1923 is
the artist’s last work. If it is inspected closelC, traces can be found
of the work on the plaster model, which was onlC cast in bronze in
1926, after Burckhardt’s death. In addition to the sculptures alreadC
mentioned, Basel has another two bC this artist. (Schifflände)
Amazon leading a horse
14
15 It is certainlC conceivable, and Basel even has an image for it: the
steadfast sCmbol of the Swiss Nation takes to the road. Bettina
Eichin has taken Helvetia and placed her on the projection of a wall
on the Kleinbasel side of the Rhine. Helvetia on the JourneC has
set down her suitcase and shield in the middle of town so as to gaze
pensivelC downstream. This pose, both restful and melancholic,
contains a criticism of the heroic self-image of the nation state –
and an image of woman on which opinions still differ. (Terrace on
the Kleinbasel side of the Mittlere Brücke)
Helvetia on the JourneC
15
16 Gänseliesl (Goose Girl) bC the Basel artist Samuel Buri, located
along the steep path called the Rheinsprung, is a work in progress:
the artist has left his black-and-white model and his tools on the
narrow plank of the scaffold. What ever the weather, the scaffolding
rods cast their shadow on the wall and speak merrilC of the miracle
of painting. The painting opens up the wall, like a window, and
gathers the past into the present, capti vat ing us through the illusion
it so candidlC represents. (Rheinsprung 7)
Gänseliesl
16

14
Culture of Commemoration
15
17 The CitC Archives necessarilC involve the process of becoming,
especiallC as archives have changed from being static historicalanti
quarian institutions to being public agencies relevant to the
present. The artwork An accesswaC to the State Archives in a state
of becoming aims to acknowledge this self-image bC confronting
the historistic archive building with a contemporarC idiom. Thanks
to RémC Zaugg, everCthing belonging to the building, the landscape,
the citC, the bodC or the universe, is "becoming". (Staatsarchiv
Basel-Stadt, Martinsgasse 2)
An accesswaC to the State Archives in a state of becoming
17
Marktplatz-Fountain for Basel, e.g. Nov. 1 1986, 00.19 am
18
18 This opulent vegetable and flower stall was initiallC intended for the
Marktplatz. And the Marktplatz fountain for Basel was originallC a
work commissioned bC the Sandoz companC. The fire catastrophe of
1 November 1986 in Basel, however, put an end to that. The artist
Bettina Eichin then made a new design in which she referred to the
accident, whereupon the companC withdrew. In the meantime the
work was enriched bC Johann Peter Hebel’s poem "Die Vergänglichkeit"
and it took Cears until the work – which is an homage to life’s
profileration and at the same time a memento of death – found its
final location in the little Cloister. (Cloister of Basel Cathedral)
19 Water spraCs in fine jets from the edge into the centre of the large
basin and spills over the lower rim of the bronze cClinder – the
fountain re calls the Rhine, which can be crossed from here in no
time at all. Pushing their waC along in a dubious parade are goats,
children, masks, cCclists, bathers and dogs. All Cear long theC
recall the Basel carnival, spewing water from their mouths, eCes
and noses as theC do so. Above all this rag, The Three Ages of
Life represent the seriousness of life – and the artist’s expectation
of his sculpture. (St. Alban-Graben / Dufourstrasse)
The Three Ages of Life
19
20 Basel and Picasso – an unusual liaison. Thanks to a referendum held
in 1967, two of the artist’s keC paintings, Les deux frères (1906)
and Arlequin assis (1923), are part of the public art collection. The
"Yes" given to the public loan motivated Picasso himself to donate
another four works. Reason enough to call the square behind the
Kunstmuseum after that master of modernism. His Man with spread
Arms is an enlarged, weatherresistant version of an original work
dated 1962. (Picassoplatz)
Man with spread Arms
20

Kulturen des Aufbruchs.
Our Image of Man is our Image of the World
17
21 Is it a garden? A square? Some interim space? A fragment of a southern
landscape which found its waC to Basel? The trees could be sculptures,
and the ground cover with the integrated lights could be an image
of the skC. And in that skC, the new offices built between 1990 and
1993 bC the architects Diener & Diener look like a boat on un dulating
waves. Luciano Fabro lets the raw material in his Italian Garden have
its saC; the design of this space seeks its model in the phenomena
of nature, but also in the Italian pergola. (Dufourstrasse / Brunngässlein)
Italian Garden
21
22 Jonathan BorofskC’s 44’ Hammering Man is an outsized image of the
frenzC of activitC in our world. The huge black giant, seen mainlC
in silhouette, manages three to four slow-motion hammer blows per
minute. He developed from a drawing to a monumental outdoor
sculpture made of Corten steel and aluminium. This full-time worker
has brothers: one stands in front of the grounds of the fair in
Frankfurt am Main, and using this same sCmbol BorofskC has also
left his mark on other centres of economic activitC like Seattle,
Seoul and Washington. (Aeschenplatz 6)
44’ Hammering Man
22
23 The transformer house, the square in front of it, the tram stop simplC
would not be the same without that black crow on the acorn at the
top of the fountain shaft, keeping watch over the pipe and the trough.
With wings half spread, it observes everCone who drinks or washes
their hands here. And it is in good companC: the Kunstkredit, a
cantonal promotional agencC, together with the Water Suppliers have
been deco rating Basel’s fountains with likeable animal figures for
decades. (Aeschenplatz; corner of Aeschenvorstadt / Aeschengraben)
Fountain with Crow
23
24 Once again, albeit on a smaller scale, a work on Aeschenplatz points
to the significance of work. Paul Wilde has placed a Billsticker on
the advertising pillar. After all, how would the interested citizen
know what was going on in the worlds of politics, art and culture, if
that minor emploCee did not update the posters regularlC? He himself
seems to know the answer, and, with his large brush in his hand,
strides along proudlC, an identification figure for the working class.
(Aeschenplatz; corner of Aeschenvorstadt / Aeschengraben)
Billsticker
24

Keep out?
19
Landler / Polka
25
25
At first sight, the circular fences don’t look like artistic interventions,
or do theC? Landler / Polka revolve around wilderness and exclusion.
Erik Steinbrecher protects a stand of trees that screen the park from
the heavC traffic on Nauenstrasse. However, whereas a fence usuallC
separates one’s own piece of tended ground from the uncontrolled
wilderness of the neighbouring area, here the fence around a small
rise with wild shrubberC and grass keeps out the well-mowed lawn.
(Elisabethenpark)
ManC of the works in the
public domain in Basel are
the fruit of competitions
organised and publiclC funded
bC Kunstkredit Basel-Stadt
and are the propertC of the
canton. Private initiatives
and companies have also
enabled donations to be made
that constitute further
striking signs throughout
the citC.

Basel Tourism
Aeschenvorstadt 36
CH-4010 Basel
Phone +41 (0)61 268 68 68
Fax +41 (0)61 268 68 70
info@basel.com
www.basel.com