Fondation Beyeler begins staged opening of Peter Zumthor expansion

Fondation Beyeler began a staged public opening of its expanded site in Riehen, near Basel, on 26 September 2026. Visitors can see new exhibition space designed by Peter Zumthor and an enlarged park, but the museum says numbers are initially limited and the ensemble is not open every day during the preview, which runs through 14 January 2027.

The arrangement gives people a first look at a substantial addition without treating every part of the site as fully open on every visit. Museum director Sam Keller told The Art Newspaper that the limited inauguration would allow the institution to learn from visitors and adjust its processes. The museum says regular daily opening of the expanded site is planned from January 2027.

How to visit during Fondation Beyeler’s preview

The museum asks visitors to buy admission online in advance as a timed-entry ticket. Its ticket page offers arrival slots at half-hour intervals and asks visitors to arrive within 30 minutes of their booked time. Once admitted, visitors are not given a fixed visit length, provided they leave within opening hours. The ticket covers the museum’s exhibitions.

The museum has not published a numerical visitor cap in the reviewed opening information. It describes the launch as gradual, with limited admission and fewer opening days at first. Visitors should use the live booking calendar to check availability for their chosen date, particularly as the preview extends into January. The published programme does not establish that every space or evening event is available on every preview day.

What the Wyss Museum adds to the Riehen site

The expansion also includes two other Zumthor structures. The Ammann Pavilion is intended as a freely accessible lounge during the day; the museum plans concerts, artist talks, films and performances there in the evening. The Erlen Gatehouse provides workspaces and art logistics facilities and connects underground to the Wyss Museum. Those functions make the project broader than a gallery extension alone.

The Art Newspaper reported a cost of about SFr120 million for the expansion. It said Hansjörg Wyss, whose name the new museum bears, covered most of the principal gallery building’s cost. The three structures sit alongside changes to the grounds and existing buildings, extending the ways visitors can use the site.

Constellations reaches the new galleries and park

The opening exhibition, Constellations, brings works from the Beyeler collection together with loans from private collections. The museum says the presentation spans both museum buildings and the enlarged park, with some rooms and groupings changing by season. Its current exhibition information describes around 230 works, including pieces by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Roni Horn and Wolfgang Tillmans.

The exhibition is scheduled to run until 5 September 2027, well beyond the preview period. Its changing arrangement means a visit later in the run may show different groupings from those on view at the opening. The museum says the title refers to Calder’s Constellations works from 1943, several of which feature in the exhibition.

A formerly private garden opens to visitors

Outside, the formerly private, heritage-listed Erlengarten has become part of Beyeler Park. The museum says this doubles the park’s area. The new section includes a water lily pond and mature trees, while works by Louise Bourgeois, Pierre Huyghe and Rachel Whiteread are among the art visitors can encounter in the enlarged grounds.

Further changes remain ahead. The museum plans to add a Fischli/Weiss garden in spring 2027, after the current limited-opening period. For now, the practical distinction is clear: the new galleries, pavilion and park form part of the expanded ensemble, while admission is being introduced gradually. Visitors planning a specific exhibition visit or evening event should check the museum’s current ticket and programme information before travelling.