EXPLAINED: Switzerland’s largest museum faces financial strain as Zurich considers higher Kunsthaus subsidies

Switzerland’s largest art museum is asking Zurich for substantially more public money after the opening of its Chipperfield extension helped double its exhibition space, but also drove up operating and maintenance costs.

The Kunsthaus Zurich recorded a deficit of 1.4 million Swiss francs last year, against operating expenses of 36.5 million francs. The museum says high personnel costs are the main factor, and that they were underestimated when the expansion was planned 15 years ago.

Zurich already provides the Kunsthaus’s largest source of funding. The proposal before voters on Sept. 27 would increase the city’s annual subsidies by 7.3 million francs, from 18.5 million to 25.8 million francs, to secure the museum’s operations and the long-term maintenance of its buildings.

The funding would be divided between two organizations. The Verein Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, which operates the museum, would see its annual allocation rise from 13.6 million to 17.6 million francs. The increase, which runs until the end of 2033, includes 1.8 million francs for improved working conditions. The city executive would have to report to the city parliament on the museum’s development by 2031.

The Zürcher Kunsthaus Foundation, which owns the properties and holds the building lease rights, would receive 8.2 million francs instead of 4.9 million. That amount would not be time-limited and would be adjusted annually to equal 2.3 percent of the insured value of all Kunsthaus properties, with the first adjustment scheduled for 2028. The museum says it can fund operations at least until the end of 2026, but warns that rejecting the proposal could mean fewer exhibitions and educational programs, reduced exhibition space, the closure of its library and staff layoffs. Director Ann Demeester made that warning in an interview with the NZZ.