Who We Are

  • The leading art museum of Eastern Switzerland
    With a collection of over 12,000 works spanning eight centuries and internationally acclaimed temporary exhibitions, we are the most important art museum in the region.
  • One museum: Two locations
    The magnificent 'Kunklerbau' in the city park combines tradition with the present, while the Lokremise serves as a dynamic exhibition venue that enables experimental formats.
  • Deeply rooted in the city and region
    Our close connection to the city of St.Gallen, the canton, and the art scene makes us a key player in the cultural life of Eastern Switzerland.
  • Part of an international network
    With our location at the heart of the metropolitan area between Vorarlberg, Baden-Württemberg, Liechtenstein, and the Rhine Valley, we reach a wide audience. Our exhibitions are internationally renowned, created with great dedication and creative vision.
  • Vibrant art education
    Art is not just for viewing—through our dedicated education program, especially in the Kirchhoferhaus, we invite everyone to actively engage with art and experience it with all their senses.
  • Preserving and expanding cultural heritage
    Our collection spans from the Middle Ages to the present day. We intentionally expand it to include non-Western and marginalized perspectives, aiming to broaden art historical narratives.
  • A bridge between past and future
    We connect historical works with contemporary issues, opening up new perspectives on art and society.
  • Open to new perspectives
    We respond to societal developments at an early stage and actively integrate alternative perspectives into our program.

What We Do

  • Creating international impulses that reach beyond St.Gallen
  • Uniting local and global perspectives
  • Developing new formats and unconventional presentations
  • Being a place of encounter, exchange, and inspiration
  • Strengthening education and outreach for all generations
  • Making marginalized artists visible
  • Preserving, researching, and sharing cultural heritage
  • Developing new formats and unconventional presentations
  • Being a place of encounter, exchange, and inspiration
  • Breaking down barriers and strengthening inclusion
  • Embracing sustainability and acting in a resource-conscious manner

Our Values

Innovation and Experimentation

- Interactive and participatory programs

- Transdisciplinary approaches – connecting art with science, technology, and philosophy

- New formats such as immersive experiences, digital art, and hybrid exhibitions

 

Sustainability and Responsibility

- Social responsibility–fair compensation for artists

- Environmental sustainability–Green Museum action plan

- Provenance research and critical reflection on collection history

 

Openness and Accessibility

- Accessibility: physical (renovation project), social, economic, and intellectual

- Lower barriers to reach diverse visitor groups

- Intercultural engagement and multilingualism

 

Diversity and inclusion

- Representation of marginalized perspectives

Community engagement–the museum as a platform for multiple voices

Programs for diverse audiences, from children to seniors

 

Critical Thinking and Reflection

- Addressing contemporary social issues

- Providing space for discourse & critical voices

- Institutional self-reflection–transparent curation & new narratives

 

Aesthetic and Emotional Experience

- Promoting sensory, poetic and unexpected artistic forms

- Art as a space for experiences–beyond intellectual engagement

- Bridging tradition and avant-garde

The Stiftung Kunstmuseum St.Gallen

The public service association, Stiftung Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, is the funding provider for the  Kunstmuseums St.Gallen. Emanating in 2012 from the Stiftung St.Galler Museums, it is supported ideally and financially by three sponsors, the City of St. Gallen, the  Ortsbürgergemeinde (citizen’s community) St.Gallen, as well as the Kunstverein St.Gallen. In addition, it receives regular subsidies from the Canton of St. Gallen, as well as from private donors.

The purpose of the foundation is to maintain and develop the art collection, realize attractive exhibitions, and carry out contemporary art mediation.  Statues and service agreements between the foundation, city, Ortsbürgergemeinde, Kunstverein, and Canton of  St. Gallen form the basis for the strategy, as well as for the operative tasks of the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen in the areas of exhibiting, collecting, research, and education.

The foundation board is responsible for the strategic orientation of the museum’s operations and finances.  The foundation board comprises three delegates from the Kunstverein, and two from both the Ortsbürgergemeinde and the City of  St. Gallen, whereby the latter is represented by a member of parliament and a delegate from the city council.

The program commission of the Kunstverein serves as a professional committee of the Kunstmuseum and together with the management, works out the museum’s program in terms of content for the attention of the foundation board.  

Angela Hensch Wyss, President, Delegate of the Kunstverein St.Gallen
Dr. Corina Saxer-Stacher, Vice President, Delegate of the Ortsbürgergemeinde St.Gallen
Gallus Hufenus, Delegate of the Stadtparlament St.Gallen
Philipp Lämmlin, Delegate of the Kunstverein St.Gallen
Beat Schedler, Delegate of the Ortsbürgergemeinde St.Gallen
Dr. Kristin Schmidt, Delegate of the Stadtrat St.Gallen
Gaby Senn, Delegate of the Kunstverein St.Gallen

Christian Fuchs, President of the Program Commission
Roland Wäspe, Director Kunstmuseum
Alex Hanimann
Charles Keller
Dr. med. Cornelius Lenggenhager
Dr. Kristin Schmidt
Gaby Senn
Prof. Dr. Armin Wildermuth