Kunstmuseum Luzern

The Kunstmuseum Luzern is the art museum of Lucerne, Switzerland, housed in the upper floors of the Culture and Convention Centre (KKL Luzern) at Europaplatz 1, beside the railway station and the lake. The KKL was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel and opened in 1998, and the museum moved into its rooms there in 2000. The museum's roots go back to the Lucerne Art Society, founded in 1819, which assembled a collection of regional and national art that forms the basis of the present holdings. The collection concentrates on Swiss art from the 19th century to the present, including landscape painting of the Lucerne region, works by artists connected with the Central Swiss tradition, and contemporary Swiss and international art. The museum also presents temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, with a programme that has featured prominent Swiss and international artists. The galleries are bright and flexible, with large windows and a long, uncluttered layout that allows for a range of installations. The curatorial approach is thematic, using changing exhibitions to place works from the collection in dialogue with contemporary practice rather than following a fixed chronology. The museum's setting within the KKL gives it a striking location, as the building's large cantilevered roof extends over the lakefront. The building is a work of contemporary architecture in its own right, and the structure has remained in good condition since opening. Visitors can combine a museum visit with a walk on the lakeside terrace or a concert in the KKL concert hall. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, with late opening on Wednesdays, and is closed on Mondays. It is a short walk from the Old Town and the Kapellbrücke.