Dali’s cryptic painting is based on a picture executed by Millet. The famous surrealist transformed the idyllic landscape into a scene of horror, filling it with macabre eroticism.

Museum of Fine Arts Bern

Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989), Atavisms of Twilight (Compulisive Idea) 1933

Misia Natanson was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s friend and muse. He painted her portrait nine times in all. Find out more about this artist, who descended from an old aristocratic family, and the pianist from Saint Petersburg, who was the patroness of numerous other artists such as Renoir, Vallotton and Bonnard.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901), Mrs. Misia Natanson at the Piano, 1897

Alexandre Calame’s painting is firmly rooted in the romantic tradition. Find out more about his painting of the Eiger and why this artist from western Switzerland traveled to the Bernese Oberland.

Alexandre Calame (1810 – 1864), The Grand Eiger, 1844

The composition of Louis Moilliet’s richly colored painting is highly sophisticated. Find out more about this artist, who was born in Bern, and very unjustly destined to be overshadowed by his friends Paul Klee and August Macke. He accompanied them on a trip to Tunisia in 1914.

Louis Moilliet (1880 – 1962), At the Music-Hall, 1913

Find out more about Chaim Soutine’s expressive painted masterpiece depicting a slaughtered ox. And about the painter too, who was friends with both Modigliani and Chagall. He lived and worked in the La Ruche studio collective in Paris.

Chaim Soutine (1893 – 1943), Flayed Beef, 1926

Find out more about Johannes Itten, who was born in Emmental and was a Bauhaus teacher and “master.” This abstract painting demonstrates Itten’s theory of color and design in practice, which proved groundbreaking for developments in modern art.

Johannes Itten (1888 – 1967), Composition in Blue, 1918

Despite its asymmetry, Piet Mondrian's painting emanates harmony and serenity. Find out more about why the Dutch artist decided to compose only with rectangles and black lines in his paintings. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Piet Mondrian (1872 – 1944), Painting No. II with Grey and Black, 1925

Max Ernst has the sun set in a mysterious, nocturnal forest landscape. Find out in what way this artwork is relevant to the artist's childhood. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Max Ernst (1891 – 1976), Forest and Sun (Nocturnal Landscape), 1928

Hans Arp and his wife Sophie Taeuber-Arp produced a number of artworks together. Find out in the video how the richly contrasting pictures mirror the relationship between the two artists. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Hans Arp (1886 – 1966), Duo Painting based on a collaborative drawing with Sophie Taeuber

Adolf Wölfli, who spent many years of his life in the Waldau psychiatric clinic near Bern, created a universe of his own in drawings and writings. The wealth of lines, patterns, musical notation and script is literally mesmerizing to look at. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Adolf Wölfli (1864 – 1930), General=View of the Island Neveranger, 1911

Find out more about why John the Baptist rebuked Herod, king of Judaea, and why the unknown painter who executed the Bernese John the Baptist Altar is called the "Carnation Master." From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Bernese Carnation Master (unknown), John the Baptist’s Sermon before Herod, around 1490

On his last trip to Wales, the English painter Alfred Sisley executed a series of views of the coastline. The paintings leave an impression of eternity and, at the same time, express the singularity of the moment. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern Collection.

Alfred Sisley (1839 – 1899), Storr's Rock, Langland Bay – Morning, 1897

« Fruit Harvest » clearly demonstrates the extent to which the artist, who was born in Solothurn in1868, engaged with the trends of his era. Amiet created a sgraffito of an apple harvest for the main façade of the building in 1936, long after this painting was completed. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern’s collection.

Cuno Amiet (1868–1961), Fruit Harvest, 1912

Learn more about the artistic credo of Henri Matisse and about the woman who served Matisse as a model for several years. From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern’s collection.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954), The Blue Blouse, 1936

Immerse yourself in this great work of Rothko and the world of Abstract Expressionism. Learn how the artist succeeded to establish "a consummated experience between picture and onlooker". From the podcast series featuring highlights of the Kunstmuseum Bern’s collection.

Mark Rothko (1903–1970), No. 7 (Dark Brown, Grey, Orange), 1963

The Kunstmuseum Bern focuses strongly on art by female artists such as Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Louise Bourgeois and Marina Abramovic. Besides its permanent collection, the Kunstmuseum Bern additionally shows themed and large monographic exhibitions.