I really wanted to see the exhibition by the Portuguese painter Paula Rego at the Kunstmuseum Basel. No, I didn’t know her, and until then, I hadn’t seen a single painting by her. But the image I saw in the newspaper about her exhibition just wouldn’t let me go.

The museum doesn’t open until 10 a.m., and since I’m an early riser, I went for a walk through Basel early that Saturday morning. Since I had time, I didn’t take the shortest route to my destination as I usually do but wandered across the city and rediscovered it in a whole new way. I had a coffee at the Stadthauscafé Basel and was completely amazed at how packed the little café was, filled to the very last seat. I admired the paintings on the walls and enjoyed the play of sunlight and shadows in the alleys.

The exhibition by Paula Rego blew me away. It’s not often that my expectations are so completely and overwhelmingly exceeded, but with this artist, that was the case. Paula Rego doesn’t present easy or cheerful fare. Her works deal with power and its exercise, abortion, legends, and fairy tales—but always from a disturbing perspective. In addition, her paintings are highly intellectual and have multiple layers. At first glance, it might seem like an everyday scene, but upon closer inspection, it transforms into a dark reality. Many of her paintings contain so many hidden messages that deciphering them takes a significant amount of time. Some of the images are truly unsettling and struck me right in the heart. These are dark messages, and I’m not sure I’d hang such a powerful painting on my wall, even if it were given to me as a gift. But it’s been a long time since an exhibition moved me as much as this one. If you want to see it, you need to hurry because the exhibition ends on February 2nd.

And if you need something to laugh about afterward, the Cartoon Museum is just a few steps away. The current exhibition by Gerhard Glück – The Simple Life – runs until March 9th and is simply delightful. I walked through the three floors and either laughed out loud or at least smiled at every other picture. The contrast to the previous exhibition was absolutely perfect.

The trip to Basel was definitely worth it!
And if you feel like visiting a café where you’re guaranteed not to be disturbed by noise, I recommend Café Moment, where silence is celebrated.