Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig

The Museum of Ancient Art Basel and Sammlung Ludwig is a museum of art and culture of the Mediterranean in Basel.

The Collection

The museum is the only one in Switzerland, which is exclusively dedicated to ancient art and culture of the Mediterranean region and gathered ancient Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Near Eastern objects. Their emergence period extends from the 4th millennium BC to the 6th century AD, with a heavy weight from 1,000 BC to 300 AD significant holdings form the Egyptian department and the collection of Greek vases and sculptures. Particular highlights bronze statuettes, terracotta and gold jewelry.

For antiques museum also includes a sculpture hall with plaster casts of antique sculptures Basel, including the Parthenon frieze.

The Museum

The Museum of Antiquities opposite the Kunstmuseum Basel is the youngest of the state museums of Basel-Stadt. Archeology already belonged to the public Urbestand Basel museum's collection, which was created in 1661 through the purchase of Amerbachkabinetts. However, the collection of antiquities was not very significant and was also little cared for. More attention has been given until the beginning of the 20th century plaster casts, which were acquired in large numbers and presented until the new museum at the Augustiner Gasse, 1887 in a private showroom at the Kunsthalle Basel. The holdings of the original ancient art were divided in 1894 between History Museum ( antique cabaret and coins) and Art Museum ( large sculptures ). Most of the approximately two thousand objects were collated, the sculpture hall closed 1927.

The concentration of the end of the 19th century, scattered objects in their own house happened to the founding of the Museum of Antiquities in 1961. Occasion to patronage were significant financial donations and collection donations. Three quarters of the items on display came from private ownership. Museum of Antiquities was opened in 1966 in a neoclassical residential building by Melchior Berri from the 1820s and a modern Oberlichtsaal. The donation of an antique collection of Peter Ludwig in 1981 led to the connection of a neighboring building ( also of Berri and of the same period ) and the re-opening under the name Museum of Ancient Art Basel and Sammlung Ludwig in 1986. The last significant enhancements were made in 2001 with the permanent Egypt department in a separate room under the courtyard and 2002 with the Department of the East, Cyprus and early Greece.

Employee

Founding director was from October 1961 to 1982 Ernst Berger, his successor was 1982-2012 Peter Blome. Since 2013 Andrea Bignasca is the director of the museum. From 1962 to 1997 Margot Schmidt conservator at the Museum of Antiquities.

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