Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel

About

Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel is one of the city’s most spirited cultural spaces, dedicated entirely to satire, visual humour, and the art of exaggeration. Founded in 1993, it remains the only museum in Switzerland focused on caricature and comic art, giving it a unique voice within Basel’s museum landscape. Its collection spans political cartoons, social commentary, and playful illustrations that reveal how artists have used humour to reflect—and challenge—public life. Inside, visitors encounter original drawings, prints, and comic panels by renowned European cartoonists. One of the most interesting facts is that the museum holds works by the legendary German caricaturist Wilhelm Busch, whose sharp wit helped shape modern comic storytelling. Temporary exhibitions often spotlight contemporary artists, exploring themes such as media culture, urban life, and the absurdities of everyday behaviour. The museum’s intimate rooms encourage close viewing, allowing visitors to appreciate fine ink lines, expressive distortions, and clever visual metaphors. Archival materials, sketchbooks, and early comic publications show how satire evolved from 19th‑century illustrated journals to today’s graphic narratives.

Basel Switzerland

Location

The Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel is in the Old Town of Basel, Switzerland, on St. Alban-Vorstadt. It’s housed in a late-Gothic townhouse and was founded in 1979 as the only museum in Switzerland devoted exclusively to satirical art. The museum belongs to the Kunstmuseum Basel group. The collection features around 10,000 original drawings from the 20th and 21st centuries. You’ll see works by Swiss and international caricaturists, cartoonists, and comic artists. Exhibitions rotate regularly and cover political satire, comics, graphic novels, and humorous illustration. The focus is on originals, not prints, so you get close to the artists’ hand-drawn lines and sketches. From the museum, you’re in the historic St. Alban district. Walk 2 minutes to the Kunstmuseum Basel main building on St. Alban-Graben, which holds art from Holbein to Picasso. The Museum of Contemporary Art is also just around the corner on St. Alban-Rheinweg. Basel Minster, the Gothic cathedral with Rhine views from the Pfalz terrace, is 7 minutes away through medieval alleys. Market Square with the red-sandstone Rathaus, the Town Hall, is 10 minutes on foot.