Sammlung Rosengart occupies the former Swiss National Bank building at Pilatusstrasse 10, about three minutes on foot from Lucerne’s main station. Its collection of Classical Modernism, assembled over decades by art dealer Siegfried Rosengart and his daughter Angela, draws visitors for one of the world’s most significant private holdings of Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.
The 1924 neoclassical bank building opened to the public in March 2002 and holds about 300 works by 23 artists. Klee is represented by around 125 pieces, from small watercolors to late drawings. A large Picasso holding traces his shifts across styles. Works by Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Chagall and Miró fill out the galleries. Many pieces came to the Rosengarts through personal friendships with the artists, which gives the rooms an intimate, collector’s-home feel. David Douglas Duncan’s photographs of Picasso at work add a candid, behind-the-scenes layer (Switzerland Tourism).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 between April and October. From November to March, hours are 11:00 to 17:00 (Sammlung Rosengart). Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit, especially before tour groups arrive in midsummer. Plan on 90 minutes to two hours. The building is wheelchair-accessible throughout. Afterward, you can walk five minutes to the KKL Luzern and the lakefront, or continue to the Chapel Bridge in the Old Town.
