{"id":59251,"date":"2026-05-03T06:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T06:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/59251\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T06:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T06:09:17","slug":"absurd-but-fun-visitors-don-swimsuits-for-free-entry-to-swiss-museums-19th-century-cezanne-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/59251\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Absurd but fun\u2019: Visitors don swimsuits for free entry to Swiss museum\u2019s 19th-century Cezanne exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RIEHEN, May 3 \u2014 A Swiss museum made a splash yesterday by inviting in the public in their swimwear to enjoy Paul Cezanne\u2019s iconic paintings of people bathing.<\/p>\n

At the Fondation Beyeler outside Basel, a young woman in a black swimsuit with a towel draped over her shoulder sat gazing at one artwork, while to her right a shirtless man in orange trunks perused the brush strokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite absurd\u201d and \u201cdaring\u201d as an idea, but \u201cI like it\u201d, Julien Rondez, a 34-year-old Swiss graphic designer, told AFP.<\/p>\n

He agreed to \u201cplay along\u201d with the concept even though he had already seen the exhibition.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors <\/p>\n

Visitors wearing swimsuits look at a painting during the experience called \u201cbathers\u2019 day\u201d (\u201cjourn\u00e9e des baigneurs et des baigneuses\u201d) inspired by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, on the occasion of the exhibition \u201cCezanne\u201d of the French painter Paul Cezanne at the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, northern Switzerland on May 1, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

This time, he said, the visitors in their swimming costumes become \u201ca kind of artwork within the museum\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sat on a green towel on a bench and browsing the exhibition catalogue, he had on his stripey swimming trunks \u2014 and the audio guide headphones.<\/p>\n

Walking around the museum in a swimsuit was \u201cdifficult at first\u201d because only a minority of visitors were doing likewise.<\/p>\n

But in the end, \u201cit\u2019s fun\u201d, he said, adding it felt a bit like a day \u201cby the pool\u201d \u2014 especially since the weather was hot.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A visitor wearing a swimsuit takes a selfie in front of the painting \u201cBaigneurs\u201d (\u201cBathers\u201d, 1890) by French painter Paul Cezanne during the experience called \u201cbathers\u2019 day\u201d (\u201cjourn\u00e9e des baigneurs et des baigneuses\u201d) inspired by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, on the occasion of the exhibition \u201cCezanne\u201d at the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, northern Switzerland on May 1, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Knowing smiles<\/p>\n

In the museum garden, visitors sunbathed on the lawn or by a pond bordered by water lilies and rushes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a rather unusual experience,\u201d said Lionnel, who was wearing a colourful sequinned bikini.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always looking\u201d left and right to see if there are other visitors in swimwear, said the 53-year-old, who works in human resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are, it\u2019s cool. We exchange a quick glance, a knowing smile. It\u2019s really nice,\u201d he added, while admitting that overall \u201cit might be a little distracting\u201d when it comes to concentrating on the paintings.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors <\/p>\n

Visitors wearing a swimsuit walk past the painting \u201cRochers a Fontainebleau\u201d (\u201cRocks at Fontainebleau\u201d, 1893) by French painter Paul Cezanne during the experience called \u201cbathers\u2019 day\u201d (\u201cjourn\u00e9e des baigneurs et des baigneuses\u201d) inspired by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, on the occasion of the exhibition \u201cCezanne\u201d at the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, northern Switzerland on May 1, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Those wishing to switch into bathing gear can do so in a changing room.<\/p>\n

To encourage museum-goers to get into the spirit of things, those arriving in swimming costumes can avoid the 25 Swiss francs (RM127) entry fee.<\/p>\n

Some visitors even donned swimming caps, while others were walking around barefoot.<\/p>\n

Laurence Gainet, a gallery owner who came from Dijon in France to see the exhibition, hadn\u2019t heard about the contemporary and modern art museum\u2019s \u201cDay of the Bathers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it\u2019s surprising; you wonder if it\u2019s a performance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A visitor in swimsuit reads a book at the main entrance of the Beyeler Foundation during the experience called \u201cbathers\u2019 day\u201d (\u201cjourn\u00e9e des baigneurs et des baigneuses\u201d) inspired by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, on the occasion of the exhibition \u201cCezanne\u201d of the French painter Paul Cezanne at the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, northern Switzerland on May 1, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Breaking the code<\/p>\n

Clad in orange trunks, Marc Schmidlin, a 40-year-old landscape gardener, came from Thurgau, around 150 kilometres away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to miss out on this event; I really like events that are unique and special, and it\u2019s not every day you get to visit a museum for free,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n

The \u201cBathers\u201d series by French Post-Impressionist Cezanne, who died in 1906 aged 67, depicts nude figures integrated into nature, closely intertwining bodies and the landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can feel from Cezanne paintings that he wants to be inspired by nature and expose that organic experience of the nature, of the people,\u201d Ana Lopes, a 34-year-old Portuguese architect working in Basel, told AFP, while wearing a one-piece swimsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cDressing in swimwear is close to that, because you are almost naked.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project was conceived by the renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis intervention playfully brings the artist\u2019s vision of the human body in nature into the present day,\u201d the museum says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unusual setting opens a dialogue between art and viewer, shifting perception, dissolving distance, and introducing a touch of humour and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lukas Rupt, a 26-year-old environmental engineer, also in swimwear, thought the concept was a smart move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like this idea to break this code,\u201d he said. \u201cI like to go out of the comfort zone.\u201d \u2014 AFP\u00a0<\/p>\n

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