Fondation Beyeler 2020: Digital Surge Amid Visitor Drop

The Fondation Beyeler in Basel reported 291,604 visitors in 2020, maintaining its status as Switzerland's most visited museum despite pandemic restrictions. Director Sam Keller stated, "Never let a crisis go to waste," as the museum boosted its online presence. It leads German-speaking European museums with 138,000 Instagram followers, a 40% increase, and gained 5,000 Facebook followers with 14% higher engagement. YouTube subscriptions doubled. The website had 1,115,981 unique visitors, up 33.3%. The Edward Hopper retrospective drew 255,001 visitors, while exhibitions included Roni Horn's "You are the Weather," "Silent Vision," "The lion is hungry," and "Rodin/Arp" (opened December, closed due to restrictions, runs through May). 28 public events occurred, including the Sound Garden concert series with over 1,200 attendees and a talk between Wim Wenders and Christian Jungen. All 203 staff were retained with reduced hours. Upcoming shows: Olafur Eliasson (April 18–July 11), "Close-up" (September 19–January 2, 2022), and Goya (October 10–January 23, 2022). The museum is closed until February 28, but the park remains open with Rodin's "The Kiss" and Fischli/Weiss's "Snowman."