About

Museum Haus Konstruktiv is the leading institution for constructive-concrete and conceptual art in Switzerland and enjoys an excellent international reputation.
Shaped by the achievements of the Zurich Concretists — Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse, Camille Graeser and Verena Loewensberg — during the 1930s to 1950s, this art form has become an integral part of modern art history. Our aim is to keep this artistic legacy alive and to connect it with contemporary artistic practice.

The museum owes its unique position within the cultural landscape to its three to six temporary exhibitions per year, which are conceived according to a clearly defined curatorial programme. Focusing on the connections between the pioneers of constructive-concrete and conceptual art on the one hand, and international contemporary art on the other, these exhibitions bring renowned, as well as newly or rediscovered historical positions into dialogue with current artistic approaches.

The art-historical foundations lie in Russian Constructivism, the constructive-concrete impulses of the 1920s and 1930s in Western Europe – including the Bauhaus – as well as in kinetic art, Op Art and American Minimal Art of the 1960s. Also central is Conceptual Art of the same decade, which emerged from the shared tendency among these movements towards reduction.

A key aim of our exhibitions is to carry this legacy forward into the present, while simultaneously reflecting contemporary artistic concepts in their historical predecessors. This dialogue is usually presented through one or two parallel solo or group exhibitions, in which the intellectual and formal affinities and differences between generations of artists are made clearly visible.

In early 2001, after 15 years in the Seefeld district, Museum Haus Konstruktiv (formerly ‘haus für konstruktive und konkrete kunst’) moved into central Zurich’s ewz Unterwerk Selnau building. This was a necessary move, as the previous premises in Seefeld no longer met the evolving requirements of running a modern museum. In early 2025, after almost 25 years in its established home at Selnaustrasse 25, the museum ended up moving once again, this time to Löwenbräukunst-Areal at Limmatstrasse 268.

The architecture of the historically unique ewz Unterwerk Selnau building, which had served as a substation for around a hundred years, providing the city with electricity until it was shut down in 1998, suited the institution’s approach very well. The structure had been remodelled between 1930 and 1934 by renowned architect Hermann Herter, Zurich’s City Architect at the time, and is now a protected historical monument. However, Museum Haus Konstruktiv eventually had to leave the ewz Unterwerk Selnau building because a new central energy facility was to be installed there from 2026 onwards, as part of the “CoolCity” energy concept.

The premises at Löwenbräukunst-Areal, converted by Gigon Guyer Partner Architekten, offer very good conditions for museum operations. The first exhibition spaces, the museum shop and the new café have been open since May 2025. Additional exhibition rooms and office areas followed in 2026, along with the reopening of the Rockefeller Dining Room, the centrepiece of the in-house collection.

The interior design of the Löwenbräukunst-Areal premises was provided by the Zurich architectural firm Fuhrimann/Hächler (AFGH), which had also designed the café and shop area at the former location in the ewz Unterwerk Selnau building in 2007, and renovated it in 2021. Here, considerable emphasis was placed on sustainability: The tables and bistro chairs from the previous café were integrated into the new design, as was the furniture from the museum shop and reception area.

The Museum Haus Konstruktiv is a place of encounter for everyone, offering a diverse programme and inviting visitors to explore its exhibitions through various educational activities. Inclusion at the museum means ensuring that all people have access to cultural offerings and are empowered in their own abilities and needs through active participation.

The Museum Haus Konstruktiv is particularly committed to ensuring equal access to cultural heritage through its inclusive projects.
Here, you can learn more about the inclusive programmes.

Museum Haus Konstruktiv is committed to sustainability and strives to do as much as it can to help tackle the climate crisis effectively. It conveys this commitment to its staff, as well as to its partners and visitors. In doing so, it follows the guidelines set out in the position paper by the Association of Swiss Art Museums (VSK) and the Happy Museums network.

Building / Preservation
Museum Haus Konstruktiv is only partially air-conditioned and uses green electricity. Wherever possible, it works with regional tradespeople and uses eco-friendly materials for maintenance.

Exhibitions / Collection
Museum Haus Konstruktiv regularly includes artists from Switzerland and Zurich in its program. Here too, we work with regional suppliers and ensure that materials are used in resource-saving ways.

If possible, we arrange combined transportation and seek short transport routes. Sustainability always has high priority in our collaborations with artists.

Management / Café & Shop
Museum Haus Konstruktiv raises its staff’s awareness with regular continuing education and training on the subject of sustainability.
The use of environmentally friendly materials and cooperation with local partners for the administration, café and shop are a matter of course for us.