Aargauer Kunsthaus | Aarau

The Aargauer Kunsthaus is a museum of visual arts, which features art pieces dating from the 18th to the 21st century, located in Aarau, the capital city of the Aargau canton in northern Switzerland.

The Aargauer museum, founded in 1959, is currently housed in an historical building, expanded in 2003 with a modern expansion designed in 1996 by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron architects in collaboration with artist Rémy Zaugg.

Exterior view of the museum; the modern expansion is one of the first completed buildings designed by the acclaimed Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, photo by Georg Aerni, Zurich

Internal courtyard at the Aargauer Kunsthaus, photo by Georg Aerni

What to see at the Aargauer Kunsthaus
The Kunsthaus is primarily devoted to Swiss art from 18th century to the present, paying a special attention to the work of Caspar Wolf, Johann Heinrich Füssli and Arnold Böcklin; its comprehensive collection includes artworks belonging to various styles: landscape painting, early Modernism, Swiss expressionism, post-war abstract art and contemporary art; the concrete art section is also particularly remarkable, with notable works by Max Bill, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Hans Arp, among others.

One of the museum galleries, the collection mostly covers Swiss art from the Romantic period to the present

Activities and public services
The Aargauer Kunsthaus organizes temporary exhibitions, workshops and special events, with a special attention to children and families.
The museum building, fully accessible to people with disabilities, includes a bookshop and a cafeteria.

Aargauer Kunsthaus: the museum lobby with the cafeteria

Cover photo by Georg Aerni
All images courtesy of Aargauer Kunsthaus