Skulpturhalle Basel
Encyclopedia
The Skulpturhalle Basel is a museum in Basel
, Switzerland
, featuring cast replicas of antique sculpture. With around 2,000 casts it is the largest collection of its kind in the country, having tripled in size between 1985 and 2010. Since 1961 the collection has been managed by the Antikenmuseum Basel
.
The collection was started in 1830. From 1849 it was located in the newly opened Museum an der Augustinergasse (now the location of the Natural History Museum
and the Museum of Cultures
). In 1887 it moved into the Basel Kunsthalle
, where a new wing known as the "Skulpturenhalle" had been built especially for it. The casts had to be warehoused in 1927 when the national art collection
was temporarily moved into the Kunsthalle, creating a need for more space. In 1940 the cast collection found a provisional home in a disused factory, four years after plans for a new building had failed to pass a referendum; the new building finally materialised in 1963.
When original works are split into pieces across various museums, the casts allow all the parts to be brought back together so that complete reconstructions of antique sculptures can be made. The unique "Parthenon Project" assembles casts of every surviving sculptural remnant from the Parthenon Temple
in Athens
, and exhibits them so as to demonstrate their original arrangements. Also in the exhibition is an array of architectural models on a scale of 1:20.
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, featuring cast replicas of antique sculpture. With around 2,000 casts it is the largest collection of its kind in the country, having tripled in size between 1985 and 2010. Since 1961 the collection has been managed by the Antikenmuseum Basel
Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig
Founded in 1961, the Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig is one of the many museums in the Swiss city of Basel and a heritage site of national significance....
.
The collection was started in 1830. From 1849 it was located in the newly opened Museum an der Augustinergasse (now the location of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum of Basel
With a heritage dating back over 300 years, the Natural History Museum of Basel in Basel, Switzerland, houses wide-ranging collections primarily focused on the fields of zoology, entomology, mineralogy, anthropology, osteology and paleontology...
and the Museum of Cultures
Museum of Cultures Basel
The Museum of Cultures Basel is a Swiss museum of ethnography with large and important collections of artifacts, especially from Europe, the South Pacific, Mesoamerica, Tibet, and Bali...
). In 1887 it moved into the Basel Kunsthalle
Kunsthalle Basel
Since opening in 1872, Kunsthalle Basel has examined various positions concerning contemporary art. This renowned exhibition space in the Swiss city of Basel has a very long tradition of supporting avant-garde artists and expanding the accepted boundaries of contemporary art. Contemporary art...
, where a new wing known as the "Skulpturenhalle" had been built especially for it. The casts had to be warehoused in 1927 when the national art collection
Kunstmuseum Basel
The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a heritage site of national significance. Its lineage extends back to the Amerbach Cabinet purchased by the city of Basel in 1661, which made it the first municipally owned museum...
was temporarily moved into the Kunsthalle, creating a need for more space. In 1940 the cast collection found a provisional home in a disused factory, four years after plans for a new building had failed to pass a referendum; the new building finally materialised in 1963.
When original works are split into pieces across various museums, the casts allow all the parts to be brought back together so that complete reconstructions of antique sculptures can be made. The unique "Parthenon Project" assembles casts of every surviving sculptural remnant from the Parthenon Temple
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, and exhibits them so as to demonstrate their original arrangements. Also in the exhibition is an array of architectural models on a scale of 1:20.