The Facts

Kunsthaus Zürich announced on January 25, 2023, that all sections of its collection will reopen between March and April 2023, following a fire in the packing room in August 2022. The fire, which occurred during the night of August 2–3, led to the closure of many collection rooms. Some 700 paintings and sculptures were taken down or relocated for appraisal and soot removal. During subsequent cleaning, traces of asbestos were discovered on concealed building components, though no airborne particles were detected, posing no danger to visitors or staff. The building's owner, Stiftung Zürcher Kunsthaus, commissioned an audit of the building fabric in evacuated areas dating from the 1910s and 1970s. Repairs, including asbestos removal and acoustic improvements in the entrance hall, are being carried out before artworks, staff, and visitors return. The entrance hall and passage to the Müller building (housing Alberto Giacometti and Pop Art) are set to reopen in early March, followed by the Moser building (Old Masters, Swiss art, and works by Fuseli, Hodler, Chagall, Klee, Munch, and the Nabis) in early April. New acquisitions by Ella Littwitz, Robert Rauschenberg, Hiwa K, Sylvie Fleury, and Marlene McCarty will be displayed for the first time.