Exhibitions
Special Events
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Special event
In our museum shop you will find special gifts for all ages and occasions. This weekend, we offer a special pre-Christmas service: whatever you choose – scarf, jewellery, book, or game – we will wrap your gift Japanese style.
> PDFGuided tour
Museums are facing challenging times: what seemed a must for an ethnographic museum in the past – for example, a collection of human skulls – is now a sensitive issue. The guided tour explores the motives behind the collecting mania of earlier days and poses questions as to the appropriate handling of sensitive objects today.
> With Reingard Dirscherl
> In German
Admission fee > PDFGuided tour
From the Virgin Mary to #regrettingmotherhood: On the guided tour we encounter a wide range of mother and child relationships. Sculptures and pictures reveal how differently the unequal couple is represented across the world..
> With Eli Wilhelm
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarKids and families
Do you know that, in earlier days, children were told that babies grow on trees like apples? Have you heard the story of the Indian god Krishna who was adopted and raised by a family of shepherds? On this joint tour, parents and children together get to know stories, objects, and images that tell about family life across the globe.
> With curator Tabea Buri
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarKids and families
The famous robber Caralampio plans to rob the treasury in the king’s castle. His rather clumsy young henchman, Micheli “de Blööterli”, gets it all wrong and so Mr Punch hears about the plan. Can he prevent the heist and help to put the robber behind bars?
> Starring “Fantasperli” as Mr Punch
> Limited seating
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarKids and families
The famous robber Caralampio plans to rob the treasury in the king’s castle. His rather clumsy young henchman, Micheli “de Blööterli”, gets it all wrong and so Mr Punch hears about the plan. Can he prevent the heist and help to put the robber behind bars?
> Starring “Fantasperli” as Mr Punch
> Limited seating
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
From the Virgin Mary to #regrettingmotherhood: on the guided tour we encounter many different types of mother-child relationships. Sculptures and pictures reveal how differently the unequal couple is represented across the world.
> With curator Tabea Buri
> In German
Free entry > CalendarKids and families
We create picture frames out of origami paper. Now you have a matching frame for your own mother-child picture! How do you like it: colourful or shiny golden?
> With Leah Vogler, Learning and Programmes
Free entry > CalendarGrasping anthropology
Together with professional performers, a group of local and refugee dancers have created especially for the museum a performance installation called FIGURES, under the guidance of the choreographer Mirjam Gurtner. Together, we explore various exhibitions and experience how the dancers enact their bodies between sculpture and dance, between object and subject. We learn more about the dance project’s background, see parts of the performance, and get the chance to be very close to the performing bodies.
> With Mirjam Gurtner, artistic director; Pascal Moor, head of production; and the dancers of FIGURES. Host: Sabine Rotach, Learning and Programmes
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Big doesn’t always mean the same thing. The guided tour tells you more about the cultural dimensions of bigness, with power and status providing two good examples. But how and by whom is size defined and measured? And what’s so impressive about big things?
> With Réka Mascher-Frigyesi
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarSpecial event
The world is a theatre! We raise the curtain for monkey heroes, well-trimmed puppeteers, and a foot theatre worthy of an Academy award. Get carried away by fire, dance, and stories about love and life. Play with your own night shadow.
> Detailed programme at Museum der Kulturen Basel
> Tickets available as of 5 Dezember 2019
> CalendarGuided tour
How come a Bavarian dirndl is made of African cloths? Moreover, in what sense are these cloths still African? Objects, ideas, and technologies have been travelling between cultures since time immemorial. Learn more about these fascinating histories of entanglement.
> With curator Stephanie Lovász
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarSpecial event
In the performance installation “FIGURES”, the human body is staged between sculpture and dance, between object and subject, setting the exhibition space in motion and offering new perspectives on museum objects. Amidst the exhibits, the dancers play with our perception of the familiar and the unknown, of the Self and the Other. As moving figures, they act on their surroundings, thus drawing the audience into ever closer encounters.
> With Mirjam Gurtner, artistic director; Pascal Moor, head of production; and the dancers of FIGURES
Admission fee > CalendarWorkshop for adults
This is how it’s done: We take PET bottles from the past StrawGold exhibition, wrap them in string using the macramé technique, place small plants inside and, hey presto, there’s your delightful miniature garden – Upcycling at its best! First, we gather inspiration from objects held in our storages before going on to the practical part. Whether you merely wish to refresh your knotting skills or whether you’ve come to learn some of the standard techniques, one thing is for sure: creative work is a lot of fun.
> With weave artist Monika Künti, curator Stephanie Lovász, and Regina Mathez, Learning and Programmes
> Limited to 16 eager plaiting enthusiasts; please register by Mon 20.1. under 061 266 56 32 or at info@mkb.notexisting@nodomain.comch.
> CalendarGuided tour
Puppetry lives off seemingly lifeless actors and objects. Let the gripping stories about love and life drawn you in.
> With Eli Wilhelm
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Museums are facing challenging times: what seemed a must for an ethnographic museum in the past – for example, a collection of human skulls – is now a sensitive issue. The guided tour explores the motives behind the collecting mania of earlier days and poses questions as to the appropriate handling of sensitive objects today.
> With Antonio Russo
> In German
Free entry > CalendarKids and families
We create cardboard head-masks ready for carnival, taking figures from the exhibition “Bhima, Mr Punch, and the Demon” as inspiration. Who do you want to be: bold Mr Punch, a demon with devilish fangs, or an Indian princess?
> With Leah Vogler, Learning and Programmes
Free entry > CalendarGrasping anthropology
Annemarie Weiss (1877-1933) of Basel was an exceptional personality. The lively spinster travelled regularly to the Valais where she collected a total of almost 400 ethnographic objects for Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer, then the head of the European Department at today’s Museum der Kulturen Basel. But her name hardly ever appears. We searched for traces and are now able to shed light on free-spirited “Mamschel Weiss”. Her collection reveals what was of scientific interest at the time and what made the traditions of the Valais so fascinating for the people of Basel.
> With curator Tabea Buri and Karin Kaufmann, research fellow at the Museum der Kulturen Basel
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
The most valuable, the best known, and the most popular – the “Best of” guided tour presents select objects from all exhibitions. At the same time, we question the criteria of such rankings. What are they based on: collectors’ interests, scientific value, or personal preferences? What’s at the top of your personal list, and why?
> With Reingard Dirscherl
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Since when has the Morgestraich been a hallmark feature of carnival? Why does the Basel carnival kick off at 4 a.m. sharp on the Monday after Ash Wednesday? Get to know more about the history of the Basel carnival, its cliques, as well as the famous Guggemusigg and Schnitzelbängg.
> With curator Tabea Buri
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Since when has the Morgestraich been a hallmark feature of carnival? Why does the Basel carnival kick off at 4 a.m. sharp on the Monday after Ash Wednesday? Get to know more about the history of the Basel carnival, its cliques, as well as the famous Guggemusigg and Schnitzelbängg.
> With curator Tabea Buri
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Since when has the Morgestraich been a hallmark feature of carnival? Why does the Basel carnival kick off at 4 a.m. sharp on the Monday after Ash Wednesday? Get to know more about the history of the Basel carnival, its cliques, as well as the famous Guggemusigg and Schnitzelbängg.
> With Lilian Vindret
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Visite guidée en français
Le Carnaval de Bâle
Depuis quand le Morgestraich existe-t-il? Pourquoi le Carnaval de Bâle kick off-t-il le lundi après le mercredi des Cendres à quatre heures du matin ? Vous aurez un aperçu de l’histoire du carnaval et de ses cliques, “Guggenmusik” et vers satiriques nommés “Schnitzelbängg”.
> Avec Liliane Vindret
> en français
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Since when has the Morgestraich been a hallmark feature of carnival? Why does the Basel carnival kick off at 4 a.m. sharp on the Monday after Ash Wednesday? Get to know more about the history of the Basel carnival, its cliques, as well as the famous Guggemusigg and Schnitzelbängg.
> With Margrit Gontha
> In German
Free entry > CalendarGuided tour
Since when has the Morgestraich been a hallmark feature of carnival? Why does the Basel carnival kick off at 4 a.m. sharp on the Monday after Ash Wednesday? Get to know more about the history of the Basel carnival, its cliques, as well as the famous Guggemusigg and Schnitzelbängg.
> With Margrit Gontha
> In English
Free entry > CalendarKids and families
Morgestraich is at the door and soon beautiful lanterns will light up the town once again. We make our own lantern out of a PET bottle and colourful paper.
> With Leah Vogler and Aila Özvegyi, Learning and Programmes
Free entry > CalendarVisitors with special needs
Puppetry lives off seemingly lifeless actors and objects. Let the gripping stories about love and life drawn you in.
> With Lua Leirner
> In German
Free entry > CalendarGuided tour
Explore the museum and its history: get to hear about adventurous expeditions and meticulous collecting, discover surprising objects from all corners of the world, and learn what modern anthropology is all about.
> With Antonio Russo
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarGuided tour
Museums are facing challenging times: what seemed a must for an ethnographic museum in the past – for example, a collection of human skulls – is now a sensitive issue. The guided tour explores the motives behind the collecting mania of earlier days and poses questions as to the appropriate handling of sensitive objects today.
> With Réka Mascher-Frigyesi
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarSpecial event
From the exhibition to the stage: the replicas of age-old puppets by Elsi and Fernand Giauque are coming to Basel: in “The Soldier’s Tale” by Charles Ferdinand-Ramuz and Igor Stravinsky, a soldier agrees to a deal with the devil: in exchange for his violin he receives a book with the promise of great wealth – but will it really make him happy?
A collaboration between the Museum der Kulturen Basel, the Basler Marionettentheater, and the Marionettenoper im Säulensaal des Musikwissenschaftlichen Seminars der Universität Heidelberg
> Venue: Basler Marionettentheater, Zehntenkeller, Münsterplatz 8
> Limited seating, advance booking at Basler Marionettentheater, Tel. 061 206 99 96, at www.ticketcorner.ch, or at Bider & Tanner, Basel
> Admission fee Basel Puppet Theatre
> In German
Foto © Matthew Gardner
> CalendarGuided tour
Puppetry lives off seemingly lifeless actors and objects. Let the gripping stories about love and life drawn you in.
> With Nadja Breger
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarSpecial event
From the exhibition to the stage: the replicas of age-old puppets by Elsi and Fernand Giauque are coming to Basel: in “The Soldier’s Tale” by Charles Ferdinand-Ramuz and Igor Stravinsky, a soldier agrees to a deal with the devil: in exchange for his violin he receives a book with the promise of great wealth – but will it really make him happy?
A collaboration between the Museum der Kulturen Basel, the Basler Marionettentheater, and the Marionettenoper im Säulensaal des Musikwissenschaftlichen Seminars der Universität Heidelberg
> Venue: Basler Marionettentheater, Zehntenkeller, Münsterplatz 8
> Limited seating, advance booking at Basler Marionettentheater, Tel. 061 206 99 96, at www.ticketcorner.ch, or at Bider & Tanner, Basel
> Admission fee Basel Puppet Theatre
> In German
Foto © Matthew Gardner
> CalendarGuided tour
Big doesn’t always mean the same thing. The guided tour tells you more about the cultural dimensions of bigness, with power and status providing two good examples. But how and by whom is size defined and measured? And what’s so impressive about big things?
> With Reingard Discherl
> In German
Admission fee > CalendarSpecial event
You are cordially invited to the exhibition opening.
Free entry > CalendarSpecial event
You are cordially invited to the exhibition opening.
Free entry > CalendarSpecial event
You are cordially invited to the exhibition opening.
Free entry > Calendar