Rosengart Collection
Sammlung Rosengart
Picasso, Klee, and modern art in the heart of Lucerne.
The Rosengart Collection is an intimate yet exceptional museum founded by art dealer Angela Rosengart. It features over 300 works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and other modernist greats like Matisse, Modigliani, Miró, and Chagall. The gallery’s charm lies in its closeness – artworks are displayed without barriers, creating a direct emotional connection. A must-visit for lovers of 20th-century art.
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Description
Detailed information about the attraction
What is this place
The Rosengart Collection is a modern art museum in central Lucerne, a few minutes from the station. Built on the collection of dealers Siegfried and Angela Rosengart, it is renowned for major holdings of Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.
Key features
- Three display levels – basement with 125 works by Paul Klee, ground floor with Pablo Picasso paintings 1938–1969, first floor with Picasso works on paper and other artists.
- Five Picasso portraits of Angela Rosengart – a rare personal series on permanent view.
- Over 300 works and a “rendezvous with 25 masters” – from Monet and Cézanne to Matisse, Chagall, Braque and Miró.
- Former Swiss National Bank building 1923–1924 by Hermann Herter – converted for the museum by Roger Diener.
- Prime location – entrance at Pilatusstrasse 10, ~3 minutes on foot from Lucerne station.
What to see
- A chronological sequence of Picasso paintings on the ground floor and his works on paper upstairs.
- The Paul Klee floor covering all phases of his oeuvre.
- The preserved former bank boardroom and the neoclassical interior ensemble.
History
Siegfried and Angela Rosengart assembled their modern art holdings through the 20th century; in 1978 parts of the Picasso group were shown in a dedicated museum in Lucerne. In 1992 Angela established the Rosengart Foundation to prepare a permanent public home.
In 2000 the Foundation purchased the 1923–1924 National Bank building and commissioned Diener & Diener to convert it. The museum opened to the public on 26 March 2002, spanning three floors and cementing Lucerne as a key venue for classic modernism.
Practical information
Location: Pilatusstrasse 10, 6003 Lucerne – 3 minutes’ walk from the station.
Getting there: Walk from Luzern Bahnhof via Zentralstrasse to Pilatusstrasse; bus stops Bahnhof and Kantonalbank nearby.
Access: Fully wheelchair-accessible; pushchairs are not permitted inside.
Visiting hours: April–October daily 10:00–18:00; November–March daily 11:00–17:00; closed only on Fasnacht carnival days.
Visit duration: 60–90 minutes; up to 2 hours with an audio guide and pauses.
Best time: Weekday mornings for quieter galleries; a good rainy-day option thanks to intimate rooms.
Notes: Tickets – adults CHF 20, seniors/registered disabled CHF 18, students up to 30 and children 7–16 CHF 10; Swiss Museum Pass and Raiffeisen card accepted; public Sunday tours add CHF 8 to admission.
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