Kunstmuseum Solothurn

What Kunstmuseum Solothurn does

Kunstmuseum Solothurn is a municipal art museum in Solothurn, Switzerland, owned and primarily funded by the Einwohnergemeinde der Stadt Solothurn (City of Solothurn). Founded in 1902 as the Museum der Stadt Solothurn, it was restructured in the late 1970s into a dedicated art museum following the integration of three major private foundations (Dübi-Müller, Josef Müller, Max Gubler). The museum holds over 8,000 works spanning late medieval to contemporary Swiss art, including Hans Holbein the Younger's 'Solothurn Madonna' (1522) and works by Ferdinand Hodler, Cuno Amiet, Meret Oppenheim, Cuno Amiet, and Frank Buchser.

The institution operates a free-admission model, generating modest earned revenue through three streams: annual memberships in the Freunde des Kunstmuseums association (CHF 450 individual / CHF 600 couple / CHF 1,000 corporate); private group tours at CHF 160 during opening hours (premium pricing for after-hours by arrangement); and on-site café, shop, and publication sales. Additional funding flows from the Canton of Solothurn, the Swiss federal Bundesamt für Kultur (including Gottfried Keller Foundation support), and Memoriav for media conservation.

Operations center on temporary exhibitions presented across designated spaces (Parterre Ost & West, Graphisches Kabinett, 1. OG), a permanent collection presentation, structured art education programs (School Lab, KMS x Vorschule, project weeks, Kinder Kunst Club), research services including provenance research, and events such as Kunst-Lunch and Barocktage. A staff of approximately 19-20 led by Director Katrin Steffen (since February 2022) executes the program; the museum is currently undergoing a building envelope renovation with Aebi & Vincent Architekten SIA AG (Bern) selected as planners. Digital channels include a collection database (Sammlung Online with 8,000+ works) and Hörbilder audio descriptions narrated by Swiss literary figures.

Name

Kunstmuseum Solothurn

Legal name

Kunstmuseum Solothurn

Website

https://kunstmuseum-so.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kunstmuseum Solothurn is a municipal Swiss art museum in Solothurn, founded 1902 and owned by the City of Solothurn. It provides free admission to its 8,000-work collection spanning medieval to contemporary Swiss art, supported by memberships, tours, and public funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions) (THAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Public art museum
• Swiss art collection
• Museum exhibitions
• Art education programs
• Cultural heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Solothurn

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Primary funding from Einwohnergemeinde der Stadt Solothurn (municipal government). Additional support from Canton of Solothurn and Swiss federal government through Bundesamt für Kultur.
2. Museum Memberships: Friends of the Museum association collects annual fees: Individual CHF 450, Couples CHF 600, Corporate CHF 1,000. Supports collection acquisitions.
3. Guided Tours & Events: Private group tours priced at CHF 160 during opening hours, with premium pricing for after-hours by arrangement. Event organization for special occasions.
4. Café, Shop & Publications: Museum café offers beverages and snacks. Shop sells postcards, posters, and publications. Revenue from on-site retail operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kunstmuseum Solothurn is a municipal art museum that preserves and presents a permanent collection of 8,000+ Swiss and international works from the late Middle Ages to the contemporary period. It offers free public access to rotating temporary exhibitions, the online Sammlung Online catalogue, audio descriptions (Hörbilder), art education programs for schools and families, and visitor amenities including guided tours, a café, a shop, and a sculpture park. Operations are funded primarily by the City of Solothurn with supplementary income from Friends of the Museum memberships, guided-tour fees, and on-site retail.

Product overview

Kunstmuseum Solothurn is a museum for Swiss art with international reach, offering free admission to its collection, temporary exhibitions, and public events. The museum operates as a single unified institution with multiple interconnected service offerings: the core Sammlung Online digital collection database featuring over 8,000 works; temporary wechselausstellungen presented across designated exhibition spaces; Vermittlung (art education) programs including School Lab and KMS x Vorschule for schools; Hörbilder audio descriptions narrated by literary figures; Forschung (research) services including provenance research and media conservation; guided tours for groups; café and shop amenities; and publications. The museum also hosts regular events such as Kunst-Lunch, public tours, and children's workshops. Since 2022, under Director Katrin Steffen, the museum has focused on expanding dialogue between historical collection and contemporary art practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sammlung Online (Online Collection) Online collection database featuring more than 8,000 works spanning the late Middle Ages to contemporary art, accessible for browsing and research by scholars and the general public.
• wechselausstellungen (Temporary Exhibitions)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission to all collections and exhibitions enables maximum public participation

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dübi-Müller-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970One of three major private foundations forming the collection's international significance. Donated significant art collection to museum.
• Josef Müller-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970One of three major private foundations giving Solothurn's collection international importance through significant art donations.
• Max Gubler-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970Third major foundation supporting collection, established by Dr. Walter Schnyder who discovered artist Max Gubler in 1936.
• Einwohnergemeinde der Stadt Solothurn (City of Solothurn)coreOthers · 1 January 1902Primary funding body and institutional owner of the museum. Provides operational funding enabling free admission to all collections and exhibitions.
• Memoriav AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1902Memoriav supports museum's media conservation efforts both substantively and financially for preserving the media collection.
• Naturhistorisches Museum BernminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1902Collaborates on exhibitions; their gorilla diorama featured in Luzia Hürzeler's exhibition on animal representation.
• Naturmuseum and Museum BlumensteinminorOthers · 1 January 1902Other city museums housing historical and natural history collections formerly part of Kunstmuseum. Part of city museum administration network.
• Kunstverein SolothurncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1850Since its founding in 1850, the Kunstverein supports, promotes, and mediates regional art. Hosts Kantonale Jahresausstellung every two years. Holds significant art collection deposited in museum's cultural heritage storage. Joint exhibitions and events strengthen regional art scene.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA Lausanne): Cantonal fine arts museum in Lausanne with Swiss and international contemporary holdings and Palais de Rumine location. Comparable as a Swiss public art museum with cantonal funding, free admission, and educational programming.
• Kunstmuseum Luzern: Lucerne's public art museum with Swiss and international modern/contemporary holdings. Comparable as a Swiss municipal/cantonal art museum with rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and similar operational scale.
• Aargauer Kunsthaus: Cantonal art museum in Aarau focused on Swiss art from the 18th century onward with rotating exhibitions. Comparable as a mid-sized Swiss public art museum with cantonal funding, free admission, and educational programs.
• Kunstmuseum Bern: Cantonal art museum in Bern with similar Swiss art focus, public funding structure, and educational programming model. Most directly comparable as a Swiss public art museum of similar scale and governance model.

Broad incumbents

• Kunsthaus Zürich: Zurich's flagship art museum with one of Switzerland's most important collections spanning Swiss and international modern/contemporary art. Comparable as a public art museum serving a Swiss city with free core admission, but with substantially larger endowment, team, and international profile.
• Zentrum Paul Klee: Bern-based museum dedicated to Paul Klee and broader modern art with strong educational programming. Comparable as a Swiss art museum offering family and school programs alongside a themed collection, but with greater private-foundation backing and architectural iconography.
• Kunstmuseum Basel: One of Switzerland's oldest and largest public art museum collections (founded 1661), with extensive Swiss and international holdings. Directly comparable as a municipally-supported Swiss art museum offering free/low-cost access to a major collection, but at significantly larger scale and reach.

Emerging players

• Museum für Gestaltung Zürich: Zurich's design museum offering free admission and rotating exhibitions on graphic design and visual culture. Comparable as a Swiss public museum with free access, educational programming, and digital collection emphasis, though focused on design rather than fine art.

Regional players

• Helmhaus Zürich: Zurich's municipal exhibition house for contemporary Swiss art, offering free admission and rotating shows. Comparable as a free-admission Swiss public art institution, though focused exclusively on temporary exhibitions without a permanent collection.
• Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur: Art museum in Chur featuring Swiss art from early modernism to contemporary works, with similar municipal/cantonal support structure. Comparable in scale and operational model, but located in a different Swiss region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100057582784835
• Instagraminstagram.com/kunstmuseum_so
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kunstmuseum-solothurn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kunstmuseum Solothurn