Markus Raetz (b. 1941, lives in Berne) is the most renowned Swiss contemporary artist of his generation. Early on in his career, he participated in the 1968 documenta and other major international exhibitions. In addition to a close and extensive engagement of drawing, the artist's oeuvre spans a wide variety of media such as sculptures, installations, and kinetic objects, with a consistent focus on perception as such. It is not what is represented that matters most, but a particular way of looking at it.

The Kupferstichkabinett presents a comprehensive retrospective of Markus Raetz's drawings. Central works from 1960 to the present have been selected for the exhibition in close collaboration with the artist. Many of them come from his studio collection and have never been on public display. Their distinguishing feature is an extraordinary wealth of techniques and motifs. Raetz plans his sculptures and objects meticulously, and realizing them sometimes takes a lot of time; as a draughtsman, by contrast, he produces a steady stream of rapid and spontaneous creations that bespeak an astonishingly rich imagination. As a highlight, the show will offer visitors an opportunity to take a look at the artist's many sketchbooks, which brim with ideas, as well as his animated cartoons and flipbooks. Spread out over the sprawling rooms of the Kunstmuseum Basel, the universe of Markus Raetz's drawings will appear in all its diversity.