The museum is housed in a neoclassical building originally designed by architect Hermann Bürgi in 1924 as a bank.
The basement level, which once served as the bank's secure vault, is now used to exhibit smaller Picasso works and prints.
Angela Rosengart, who founded the museum, was a personal friend of both Picasso and Klee.
The collection contains Picasso's last portrait of himself, painted just months before his death in 1973.
Picasso was so close to the Rosengart family that he created several portraits of Angela Rosengart, which are displayed in the museum.
The Paul Klee collection is one of the most comprehensive worldwide, tracing his stylistic evolution from 1910 to 1940.
Sammlung Rosengart is a private art museum located in a former Swiss National Bank building in central Lucerne. The core of the collection features a significant assembly of works by Pablo Picasso, donated by the art dealer Siegfried Rosengart and his daughter Angela. The museum holds over 200 works by Picasso, including late-period paintings and drawings. It also houses an extensive collection of over 125 works by Paul Klee. The building's architecture retains elements of its original financial purpose, including a converted basement vault used for exhibitions. The collection spans Impressionism to Classical Modernism, featuring pieces by Cézanne, Monet, Matisse, and Miró. It serves as a permanent display for the Rosengart family's private collection.
The central staircase featuring the museum's architectural detail and the portrait area of the Rosengart family.
Download the museum's audio guide app before arriving to gain context on the specific relationships between the collectors and the artists.
Visit the vault area first to see the smaller, more intimate drawings that are often missed by visitors rushing to the large paintings.
The museum is compact; consider pairing it with a walk through the nearby Old Town to make a full morning or afternoon.
Do not rush through the rooms; the museum is designed for close-up inspection of delicate drawings and sketches.
Open daily throughout the year, including Sundays.
