Visit the Yayoi Kusama special retrospective exhibition in the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland — 12 October 2025 to 25 January 2026.
The Fondation Beyeler near Basel will stage the first-ever retrospective in Switzerland of artist Yayoi Kusama in the winter of 2025/26. To coincide with the Kusama exhibition, the Fondation Beyeler’s new collection display focuses on the dot with works by other famous artists. The Kusama exhibition is expected to be very popular, and the museum will have extended opening hours for the entire special exhibition period. Buy time-slot reservation tickets online in advance — many days are likely to sell out. Admission is free for visitors younger than 25 and a few francs cheaper on Tuesdays.
Yayoi Kusama at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel
From 12 October 2025 to 25 January 2026, the Fondation Beyeler in Basel will be the first museum in Switzerland to devote a retrospective to renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (*1929, Matsumoto). Organised in close collaboration with the artist and her studio, the exhibition will offer a complete overview of Kusama’s more than seven-decade career.
Alongside some of her most iconic artworks, the exhibition will feature early works never seen in Europe before, as well as new productions and one of the artist’s celebrated Infinity Mirror Rooms. Yayoi Kusama, one of contemporary art’s superstars, has achieved cult status with her exploration of repetitive patterns and structures, notably her characteristic polka dots and mirror rooms, which carry viewers away into worlds that seem to expand without limits.
The retrospective exhibition in Basel will highlight the wealth of artistic media Kusama has worked with over the years, among them painting, sculpture, installations, drawing, collage, happenings, live performances, fashion and literature.
The exhibition is jointly organized by Fondation Beyeler with Museum Ludwig in Cologne (14 March 2026 – 2 August 2026) and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (11 September 2026 – 17 January 2027).
“A Brief Art History of the Dot”
To coincide with the Kusama exhibition, the Fondation Beyeler’s new collection display from 4 October 2025 to 4 January 2026 focuses on the dot. Different aspects of the dot – or point – within its artistic development from the late 19th century to the present day are illuminated.
The dot’s or point’s multifaceted nature in art ranges from pointillism and abstraction to pop art and contemporary art. The dot can function as an abstract compositional element; in its figurative dimension, however, it can also become a tiny celestial body. From an emotional perspective, it can be a point of pain and forms the basis of visual perception as a light point and viewpoint. In this way, the exhibition also considers the dot from a sensual and human perspective.
Works by the following artists, among others, will be exhibited:
Louise Bourgeois, Paul Cezanne, Max Ernst, Félix González-Torres, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, Joan Mitchell, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Barnett Newman, Elizabeth Peyton, Pablo Picasso, Sigmar Polke, Jackson Pollock, Henri Rousseau, Doris Salcedo, Wolfgang Tillmans, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol.
Visiting the Fondation Beyeler in Basel
The art museum of the Fondation Beyeler Basel has pleasantly long opening hours. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, closing at 8 pm on Wednesdays.
During the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, the Fondation Beyeler will open already at 9 am on weekdays.
The museum is open on all holidays, including Christmas and New Year.
Tickets for the Kusama Exhibition at the Beyeler in Basel
Admission to the Fondation Beyeler, including the Yayoi Kusama retrospective exhibition, is CHF30. This is about the same price as for the Kunstmuseum Basel and not excessively expensive by Swiss standards.
On Tuesday, admission is discounted to CHF25.
Buy tickets online directly from the official website of the Beyeler — admission is with reserved timeslots.
More remarkably, youths up to 25 enter for free.
The Swiss Museum Pass is not accepted but many local and regional passes give discounts. The Basel Card, free to all overnight guests in Basel, gives around 50% discount.
Special RailAway combination deals may be available if traveling by public transportation.
Transportation to the Foundation Beyeler in Basel
The Fondation Beyeler is at Baselstraße 77, 4125 Riehen / Basel, in northern Switzerland. It is north of the Rhine and only a few hundred meters from the border with Germany.
The art museum is best reached on public transportation, as parking in Riehen is limited – try the Zentrum parking garage in town. Follow local signs — roadworks may close roads temporarily.
From the Basel Hauptbahnhof (SBB main train station), use tram 2 to the Badischer Bahnhof. Change here to tram 6 (direction Riehen Grenze) and get off at the stop: Fondation Beyer. Total traveling time is just less than half an hour. An alternative is to use the train to Riehen station, from where it is an easy five-minute walk to the museum.
The museum has a rather posh restaurant in the Villa Berower in the adjacent park. Cheaper fare is available in many further restaurants and bakeries in between the museum and the train station.
More Sights to See in Basel, Switzerland
Basel, on the Rhine River and bordering Germany and France, is an interesting city to explore:
- Top Sights to See in Basel
- Visit the Basler Münster (Romanesque and Gothic Minster in Basel)
- Visit the Kunstmuseum Basel — Switzerland’s Top Art Museum
- Visit the Museum Tinguely in Basel to See Kinetic Art Sculptures
- Visit the Fondation Beyeler modern art gallery — Yayoi Kusama Retrospective (Oct 2025 to Jan 2026)
- Visit the Basel Christmas Market – the best Weihnachtsmarkt in Switzerland
- Travel from Paris to Basel or Zurich on Fast TGV Lyria Trains
- Cheap Public Transportation to Basel Airport (Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport — BSL / MLH / EAP) — surprisingly easy and cheap on Bus 50 to Basel train station.
- Hotels in Basel — book early, prices go up fast during major trade shows. Overnight guests get a BaselCard with free public transport and savings on museum entry.