KUNSTMUSEUM-FFENTLICHE KUNSTSAMMLUNG BASEL

(German: Basel Art Museum-Public Art Collection), museum of art in Basel, Switz., established in 1662 by the city and its university. The founding collection, the first publicly owned art collection in Europe, was purchased from extensive holdings of the Amerbach family. Later acquisitions have usually been the gifts of Basel citizens. The museum is noted for its collections of European painting (especially from the Renaissance and modern periods) and of modern sculpture.