A Brief Art History of the Dot
4 October 2025 – 4 January 2026
The Fondation Beyeler’s new collection presentation focuses on the dot. The exhibition so picks up on a central motif in the work of Yayoi Kusama, to whom the museum is simultaneously dedicating a major retrospective. Different aspects of the dot – or point – within its artistic development from the late 19th century to the present day are illuminated. A very small round mark, a spot, speck or splatter, the dot is the smallest pictorial element, a basic geometric concept and can be both a sign and a symbol of creative and spiritual significance. The word “point”, on the other hand, derives from the Latin punctum, meaning “puncture”.
The dot’s or point’s multifaceted nature in art ranges from pointillism and abstraction to pop art and contemporary art. The dot can function as an abstract compositional element, in its figurative dimension, however, it can also become a tiny celestial body. From an emotional perspective, it can be a point of pain and forms the basis of visual perception as a light point and viewpoint. In this way, the exhibition also considers the dot from a sensual and human perspective.
Works by the following artists, among others, will be exhibited: Louise Bourgeois, Paul Cezanne, Max Ernst, Félix González-Torres, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, Joan Mitchell, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Barnett Newman, Elizabeth Peyton, Pablo Picasso, Sigmar Polke, Jackson Pollock, Henri Rousseau, Doris Salcedo, Wolfgang Tillmans, Vincent van Gogh and Andy Warhol.