Kunsthalle Zürich is a not-for-profit, membership-led institution devoted to promoting contemporary art and its discourses. Its key activities are the production, presentation and mediation of contemporary art in both local and international contexts. Founded in 1985, Kunsthalle Zürich has been located in the Löwenbräu complex since 1996. With an interdisciplinary programme, it is a site of artistic experimentation, critical engagement and social exchange.
Over the course of its more than 40-year history, Kunsthalle Zürich has established its reputation as an important actor in the discourse around art in Switzerland and beyond. An independent institution, Kunsthalle Zürich presents between four and six exhibitions annually, as well as staging events and offering mediation formats for a broad public. In addition to realising exhibitions and publications, cooperations are regularly initiated with local, national and international partners.
Kunsthalle Zürich has been shaped by its former directors: Bernhard Mendes Bürgi (1990 to 2001), Beatrix Ruf (2001 to 2014) and Daniel Baumann (2015 to 2024). Together with their teams, each of these figures shaped the institution’s profile in their own way. Fanny Hauser has led Kunsthalle Zürich since 2025.
The Verein Kunsthalle Zürich (Kunsthalle Zürich association) is the institution’s governing body; it is funded by its members and patrons, as well as by sponsors and public funding bodies. Kunsthalle Zürich is significantly supported by Stadt Zürich Kultur, Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur and the Luma Foundation.
