Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

What Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst does

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst is a contemporary art museum located at the Löwenbräukunst complex on Limmatstrasse 270 in Zürich, Switzerland. It operates as an institution of Migros-Kulturprozent, the cultural engagement arm of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund), and maintains a permanent collection of approximately 1,500 works alongside the Disobedience Archive — a video library of more than 100 documentary and art films at the intersection of art and activism initiated by Marco Scotini in 2005. The museum presents rotating exhibitions featuring international and Swiss artists, including Mohamed Bourouissa – Pour Noubia (13.06.–06.09.2026), the Disobedience Archive (Canopy for Broken Time) (07.02.–25.05.2026), and the previously hosted Haegue Yang: Leap Year (Sept 2025–Jan 2026), and runs an academic publications program through partnerships with Mousse Publishing and JRP|Ringier. The museum's 2026 annual program is themed around "Solidarity," examining how art can build understanding and connection across social, cultural, and linguistic divides. Since 2023 all exhibitions, events, and guided tours have been free of charge, repositioning the institution as an open-access cultural platform.

The museum operates under a collective leadership (Leitungskollektiv) model comprising five co-directors responsible for Programs, Communications, Exhibitions, Operations, and Collection: Tasnim Baghdadi, Patrick Ilg, Yasmin Naderi Afschar, Catherine Reymond, and Nadia Schneider Willen. Mira Song, Director of the Social Affairs and Culture Division of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, holds overall institutional responsibility. Day-to-day operations are delivered through dedicated teams in art education (Kunstvermittlung), collection care, curatorial assistance, technical production, registration, visitor services, and digital content. The technology footprint is limited to standard museum operations: a bilingual German/English website, an e-commerce shop, a YouTube video channel, and newsletter infrastructure; no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML systems are documented.

Revenue derives from three streams: recurring institutional funding from the Migros Group via Migros-Kulturprozent (the dominant source), one-time sales from the museum shop (exhibition posters at 25 CHF, tote bags at 18 CHF, artist's carrier bags at 100 CHF, silk foulards at 220 CHF, gym bags at 25 CHF), and one-time publication sales (catalogs and monographs at 27–58 CHF). The customer base comprises general visitors, school groups, teenagers, refugees and asylum seekers, and people with disabilities, served through a comprehensive art education program that operates both on-site and at partner community locations including the Bundesasylzentrum Zürich and through the nationwide Kulturagent.innen cultural-education project across seven Swiss cantons.

Name

Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

Legal name

Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

Website

https://migrosmuseum.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst is a free-admission contemporary art museum in Zürich operated by Migros-Kulturprozent, presenting rotating international and Swiss exhibitions, academic publications, and art education programs serving general visitors, schools, teenagers, refugees, and people with disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art museum
• Art exhibitions
• Art education programs
• Museum publications
• Cultural institution

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Operations: The museum operates a physical and online shop selling exhibition posters, artist merchandise, publications, tote bags, and other museum-branded items.
2. Publication Sales: Sale of exhibition catalogs and monographs priced between 27-58 CHF, documenting the museum's exhibition activity and positioning artists within international academic discourse.
3. Institutional Funding: As an institution of Migros-Kulturprozent, funded through the social commitment of the Migros Group's societal engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The museum presents rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring national and international artists, produces academic exhibition catalogs and thematic publications, runs an extensive art education program with guided tours and workshops for diverse audiences, and operates a retail shop selling exhibition-related merchandise. All exhibitions, events, and guided tours have been offered free of charge since 2023. The museum also maintains a permanent collection of approximately 1,500 works and curates the Disobedience Archive video library.

Product overview

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst is a contemporary art museum in Zurich operated by the Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund as part of the Migros-Kulturprozent cultural engagement initiative. Since 2023, all exhibitions and events have been free of charge. The museum's offerings include rotating contemporary art exhibitions featuring international and Swiss artists, academic publications and exhibition catalogs, a retail shop selling artist merchandise, an extensive art education program with guided tours, workshops for various age groups and audiences, video content including artist talks and symposia, and a newsletter subscription service. The museum operates under a collective leadership model with no single director.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions Program
• Publications

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission policy has made the museum accessible to all visitors since 2023

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Museum Marta HerfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2025Collaboration partner for the Mohamed Bourouissa exhibition - the exhibition first took place at Museum Marta Herford (Sept 2025-Jan 2026) before moving to Migros Museum (June-Sept 2026). Curated by Oriane Durand at Marta Herford and Yasmin Naderi Afschar at Migros Museum.
• ExpoTranskulturcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for multilingual storytelling tours exploring migration experiences through Mohamed Bourouissa's exhibition. Authors read stories about migration in their own languages (German/English/Arabic/Spanish/Kurmanji) with written translations.
• Offene Jugendarbeit (OJA) Kreis 6coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular cooperation for art workshops for teenagers (ages 13-18) held at the museum, exploring contemporary art through graffiti, video, photography, painting, and performance.
• Living Museum ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt and Healing Workshop series collaboration exploring themes of visibility and being heard, inspired by the Mohamed Bourouissa exhibition. Culminates in public vernissage of created works.
• sichtbar GEHÖRLOSE ZÜRICHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility partnership for German Swiss Sign Language (DSGS) tours during the Long Night of Museums, making exhibitions accessible to deaf visitors.
• Verband Kulturvermittlung SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide association for cultural education implementation of the Kulturagent.innen project across seven Swiss cantons.
• Mousse PublishingcoreOthersPublisher of the Mohamed Bourouissa - Pour Noubia exhibition catalog in collaboration with Migros Museum and Museum Marta Herford.
• JRP|RingierminorOthersPublisher of multiple exhibition catalogs and monographs for the museum including Florian Germann, Stephen G. Rhodes, and other artist publications.
• Hayward Gallery LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Haegue Yang: Leap Year exhibition, which then traveled to Kunsthal Rotterdam and Migros Museum (Sept 2025-Jan 2026).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tate Modern: London's flagship contemporary and modern art museum; operates as a division of the Tate network. Larger-scale incumbent that Migros Museum partners with (Haegue Yang: Leap Year co-presentation) and competes with for high-profile touring exhibitions.
• MUDAM Luxembourg: Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, a contemporary art museum combining collection, exhibitions, and education. Comparable mid-sized European contemporary art museum with similar free-access educational ethos and international exhibition programming.
• Centre Pompidou: Paris national museum of modern and contemporary art with permanent collection, education mandate, and high visitor volume. Comparable in curatorial ambition and education focus but materially larger in scale and budget.
• Haus der Kunst München: Munich non-collecting exhibition hall for international contemporary art. Comparable exhibition-only model with strong educational programming and public-event focus, sharing the German-speaking central European contemporary-art circuit.

Direct peers

• Kunsthalle Basel: Swiss kunsthalle focused on temporary contemporary exhibitions; closely comparable in scale, programming format, and Swiss contemporary-art positioning to Migros Museum's rotating exhibition program.
• MCA Chicago: Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated exclusively to art since 1945 with collection and exhibition programming. Peer in non-European contemporary art museum operations, scale of programming, and education/community mandate.
• Kunsthaus Zürich: The principal fine-art museum in Zürich, exhibiting major modern and contemporary works. Most directly comparable Swiss contemporary art institution in the same city, sharing the same audience pool and competing for the same Migros-City cultural attention.
• Museum für Gegenwartskunst Basel: Basel-based contemporary art museum affiliated with Kunstmuseum Basel; focused on postwar and contemporary art. Closest national peer operating under a similar 'museum of contemporary art' mandate with collection, exhibition, and education programs.
• Palais de Tokyo: Paris center for contemporary art with rotating exhibitions, free admission, and strong education/community programming. Closest European peer in mission and operating model (free access, focus on contemporary practice, education-driven).
• Kunsthalle Zürich: Zürich kunsthalle specializing in temporary contemporary art exhibitions without a permanent collection. Directly comparable exhibition-only contemporary-art model in the same city, sharing artist and curatorial networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyKcSVWrher6tRPvfO3XbPg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/migros-museum-f%C3%BCr-gegenwartskunst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst