Mission

The Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg is the central institution for contemporary art on the border between French and German-speaking Switzerland. Founded in 1981, it has established itself in its more than 40-years history as a significant venue to foster the production and presentation of contemporary art and current artistic practices. Located in the lower town of Fribourg, it presents an ongoing program of exhibitions, events, and educational formats for a broad audience. The Kunsthalle acts independently and creates spaces for exchange and dialogue about contemporary art. It collaborates regularly with institutions and partners in the region and abroad. 

The Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg has staged groundbreaking exhibitions throughout its history, with Swiss solo debuts by Jimmie Durham & David Hammons (1993), Thomas Hirschhorn (1995), Marc Dion (1995), Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster (1996), Renée Green (1996), Julia Scher (1996), Thomas Hirschhorn (1995), Valentin Carron (2002), Steven Parrino (2002), Latifa Echakhch (2010), Cameron Rowland (2016), and Charlotte Johannesson (2024). Following in this tradition, it has most recently presented the first solo exhibitions in Switzerland by artists such as Sara Deraedt (2024), Sky Hopinka (2024), Ei Arakawa (2023), Georgia Sagri (2022), Hamishi Farah (2021), Calla Henkel & Max Pitegoff (2020), or Dorota Gawęda & Eglė Kulbokaitė (2020). The Kunsthalle also regularly stages research-oriented historical archival exhibitions, such as Film Implosion! – Experiments in Swiss Cinema and Moving Images (2015), Eduardo Paolozzi (2016), and Ketty La Rocca (2020).

Located in a bilingual cultural environment, the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg fosters an active and lively exchange between the German- and French-speaking art scenes in Switzerland.

You can find a selection of articles on the history of the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg in our archive.

Team

Kathrin Bentele
Artistic Director

Estelle Negro
Administrative Director

Ikenë Rrustemi
Assistant to the Directors (ad interim)

Clara Chavan
Artistic Coordinator

Max Hauri
Press and Communication

External staff:

Valentine Yerly
Cultural Mediation

Fabian Stücheli
Technical Services

Pierrick Brégeon
Graphic Design

Cedric Mussano, Julie Folly, Pauline Humbert
Exhibition Documentation, Photography

Camille Aye, Joëlla Gatambara, Mélanie Petermann, Phinn Sallin-Mason, Lucile Schneuwly
Reception/Visitor Services

Conceiçao Silva Carvalho, Aliona Cazacu
Building Maintenance

Board of the Friart association:

Clémence de Weck, Chair
Nicolas Brodard
Hani Buri
Irène Unholz
Elise Meyer
Philippe Wicht
Simon Zurich

Board of the Friends of Friart association:

Caroline Büchler, Chair
Pierre Stadler, Treasurer
Apolline Berger
Grégoire Marmy
Maya Robert
Hélène Wichser

Artistic Directors since 1981:

Michel Ritter (1981–2002)
Sarah Zürcher (2002–2007)
Corinne Charpentier (2007–2013)
Balthazar Lovay (2013–2019)
Nicolas Brulhart (2019–2025)
Kathrin Bentele (2025–)

Contact

Friends of Friart

Become a friend of the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg!

As a friend, you actively support the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg in all its activities and help promote current artistic production in Fribourg and the region. Friends also enjoy the following benefits:

– Free entry to over 20 further institutions for contemporary art within Switzerland: Aargauer Kunsthaus, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, CAN Centre d’art Neuchâtel, Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthalle Bern, Kunsthalle Zurich, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, Kunsthaus Glarus, Kunsthaus Langenthal, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Kunstmuseum Thun, Kunstmuseum Thurgau, Kunst Museum Winterthur, MAMCO Genève, Museo e Centro d’Arte Contemporanea Ticino, Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen, Shedalle Zürich
– 20% discount on all Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg publications and editions
– Personal invitations to all community activities of the Friends of Friart (tours with the curatorial team, studio and exhibition visits, art trips in Switzerland and abroad)
– Discounted subscription to Kunstbulletin magazine
– Free entry to all paid events of the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg

Our membership fees are:
Individual membership
 50 CHF / year
Couple
 80 CHF / year
Artist / Student
 20 CHF / year
Supporter
 500 CHF / year
Patron
 > 500 CHF

To sign up for a membership, please use our digital subscription form. We look forward to having you with us!

For any further questions regarding membership and our upcoming members’ activities, please contact Caroline Büchler, Chair of the Friends of the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg, by email at: amis@friart.ch
 or by phone at: +41 26 323 23 51

Each year, the Friends of Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg invite one artist from the exhibition program to produce an edition, which is available in the Kunsthalle’s shop. By purchasing an edition, you also become a friend of the Kunsthalle for a year and enjoy further exclusive benefits.

Supporters

As a non-profit organization, the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg relies on the support of numerous long-term and project-specific partners, who make its ambitious program of exhibitions and events possible.

The Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg warmly thanks all of its supporters, sponsors, and partners.

Supporters:
– State of Fribourg
– Loterie Romande
– Agglomeration Fribourg
– City of Fribourg
– Cantonal Bank of Fribourg
– Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz
– Ami·e·x·s Friart

Partners:
– Association of Museums of the Canton of Fribourg
– Association K / Verein C
– Association of Museums in Switzerland
– BCU Fribourg
– Center of Socioprofessional Integration Fribourg, CIS
– Eurostandard
– Festival Belluard Bollwerk International
– Fribourg Tourism
– Kollektiv Ortie
– Le Cric, Cooperative Printing Office
– TRNSTN RADIO
– Université de Fribourg
– Visarte Fribourg/Freiburg
– WallStreet

Jobs

Join our team! The Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg is currently seeking to hire for the following positions:
Internship 50%

Bookshop

The Kunsthalle’s bookshop offers a selection of catalogues, books, novels, and artist monographs, alongside theoretical texts on contemporary art. A wide range of current magazines and books is complemented by publications relating to the current exhibition or other cultural activities in the city. In addition, artists, curators, and art spaces and institutions are regularly invited to curate a section of the bookshop.

You can also find a selection of editions, posters, T-shirts, and other merchandise in our bookshop. To see what we currently have available, please visit our webshop or come by in person. We look forward to seeing you!

Venue hire

The exhibition spaces of the Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg can be rented and used for private purposes. The Kunsthalle is located in a former cardboard packaging factory in Fribourg’s lower town, with spaces stretching over three floors (basement, first floor, second floor). On the third floor, an apartment for use by artists and guests is available. If you’re interested in knowing more about a venue hire, please have a look at our rental dossier. We’d be glad to receive your inquiry by email at info@friart.ch. Availability is determined on an individual basis according to the exhibition and event calendar of the Kunsthalle.