The Aargauer Kunsthaus is a public-private partnership, and the institution receives funding from the Canton of Aargau and the Aargau Art Association (Aargauische Kunstverein).
Vision + Mission
Vision
The Aargauer Kunsthaus is the leading museum for art from Switzerland. It sharpens our view of the times and helps to shape an open and inclusive society through its lively and experimental approach to art and artists.
Mission
In dialogue with various communities, the Aargauer Kunsthaus creates space for intellectual and emotional contact with art in Switzerland.
History
In 1860, the Aargau Art Association was founded as a section of the Schweizerischer Kunstverein (Swiss Art Association) founded in Zofingen in 1806. One year later, the first Swiss Art Exhibition of the Schweizerischer Kunstverein was held in the former Postremise in Aarau (on the site of today’s Kunsthaus).
For almost 100 years, the Aargau Art Association subsequently pursued the goal of building up a collection of Swiss art that could be shown in its own museum. After a stopover in the Gewerbemuseum next to the Kantonsschule, which was completed in 1894, the time had finally come in 1959: a pioneering museum building not only for the association and the canton of Aargau, but also for the city of Aarau was realised by Loepfe, Hänni and Haenggli in the government district of Aarau,.
In 1962, the co-operation between the Aargau Art Association and the canton is contractually regulated: The Aargauer Kunsthaus is the property of the state. The state takes care of its administration and maintenance at its own expense. In return, the Aargau Art Association deposits its collection in the Kunsthaus and oversees its expansion and exhibitions.
Over the years, the collection grows thanks to purchases, donations and bequests, and it becomes clear that the Kunsthaus urgently needs to be extended. In 2003, the extension by Herzog & de Meuron was opened in collaboration with Rémy Zaugg. This made it possible to permanently exhibit the collection, which had grown over the decades.
Since then, the Aargauer Kunsthaus regularly hosts solo and group exhibitions relating to current issues and social topics, which even challenge our own role as a museum. Yet through it all, the primary focus remains unwaveringly on experiencing creativity and engaging with art.
Architecture
The extension designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron provides the Aargauer Kunsthaus with a total of 3,000 m² of exhibition space in bright, modular exhibition rooms. The open foyer, redesigned in 2023, invites visitors to linger in a number of places. A museum café and an art bookshop complete the venue. On the lower level, there are a freely accessible multi-purpose room and a studio for the education department’s creative projects.
The Aargauer Kunsthaus was built in 1959 by local architects Loepfe, Hänni and Hänggli. Based on a careful analysis of the urban surroundings, the extension by Herzog & de Meuron creates a harmonious union between the old and new buildings. The two spiral staircases are often photographed icons: They connect the floors in the museum as well as the city with the parks.
Team
Internship
Projects
Traineeship
Internship
Freelance collaboration
Attendants
Mina Barkhordari, Silvio Benz, Cosimo Gritsch, Berna Kara, Rita Kovacs, Brigitte Krebs, Sabina Meier-Schwaar, René Mörgeli-Meienhofer, Doris Scossa, Sabine Siegrist, Dali Stöcklin, Silvia Strub, Almudena van Stiphout, Gisela Wesseling, Noëmi Zingg, Pia Zumofen
Museum technique
Janina Balsiger, Daniel Bracher, Daniel Desborough, Stefan Lenz, Luca Portner, Anita Schwank, Roman Sonderegger, Giulia Spek, Lukas Steiner, Daniel Strübi, Timo Ullmann
Volunteers
The Aargauer Kunsthaus offers a wide range of opportunities to get actively involved and participate in the running of the museum. By volunteering, you enable the museum to organise additional offers for visitors, broaden your own horizons and learn new things.
Partners
We would like to thank our sponsor UBS for its generous financial support.
In 2026, the contribution will be made to the exhibition Artificial Creativity (26.9.2026–10.1.2027).
The Aargauer Kuratorium is jointly responsible for the annual exhibition Auswahl.
The Manor Art Prize, one of the most important awards for contemporary art in Switzerland, was established in 1982 by Philippe Nordmann to provide a platform for young Swiss artists. It is awarded annually by a jury of experts in six Swiss cities, alternating between Aarau, Basel, Biel, Chur, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano, Schaffhausen, Sion, St. Gallen and Winterthur.
Flowers to Art is a project by FLOWERS TO ARTS and the Aargauer Kunsthaus.
