Volkswacht Bodensee - Immersive art: museum-goers in bikinis dive into Cezanne

At the Fondation Beyeler outside Basel, a young woman in a black swimsuit with a towel draped over her shoulder sat gazing at one artwork, while to her right a shirtless man in orange trunks perused the brush strokes.

"It's quite absurd" and "daring" as an idea, but "I like it", Julien Rondez, a 34-year-old Swiss graphic designer, told AFP.

He agreed to "play along" with the concept even though he had already seen the exhibition.

This time, he said, the visitors in their swimming costumes become "a kind of artwork within the museum".

Sat on a green towel on a bench and browsing the exhibition catalogue, he had on his stripey swimming trunks -- and the audio guide headphones.

Walking around the museum in a swimsuit was "difficult at first" because only a minority of visitors were doing likewise.

But in the end, "it's fun", he said, adding it felt a bit like a day "by the pool" -- especially since the weather was hot.

- Knowing smiles -

In the museum garden, visitors sunbathed on the lawn or by a pond bordered by water lilies and rushes.

"It's a rather unusual experience," said Lionnel, who was wearing a colourful sequinned bikini.

"You're always looking" left and right to see if there are other visitors in swimwear, said the 53-year-old, who works in human resources.

"If there are, it's cool. We exchange a quick glance, a knowing smile. It's really nice," he added, while admitting that overall "it might be a little distracting" when it comes to concentrating on the paintings.

Those wishing to switch into bathing gear can do so in a changing room.

To encourage museum-goers to get into the spirit of things, those arriving in swimming costumes can avoid the 25 Swiss francs ($32) entry fee.

Some visitors even donned swimming caps, while others were walking around barefoot.

Laurence Gainet, a gallery owner who came from Dijon in France to see the exhibition, hadn't heard about the contemporary and modern art museum's "Day of the Bathers".

"At first, it's surprising; you wonder if it's a performance," she said.

- Breaking the code -

Clad in orange trunks, Marc Schmidlin, a 40-year-old landscape gardener, came from Thurgau, around 150 kilometres away.

"I didn’t want to miss out on this event; I really like events that are unique and special, and it’s not every day you get to visit a museum for free," he told AFP.

The "Bathers" series by French Post-Impressionist Cezanne, who died in 1906 aged 67, depicts nude figures integrated into nature, closely intertwining bodies and the landscape.

"You can feel from Cezanne paintings that he wants to be inspired by nature and expose that organic experience of the nature, of the people," Ana Lopes, a 34-year-old Portuguese architect working in Basel, told AFP, while wearing a one-piece swimsuit.

"Dressing in swimwear is close to that, because you are almost naked."

The project was conceived by the renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

"This intervention playfully brings the artist's vision of the human body in nature into the present day," the museum says.

"The unusual setting opens a dialogue between art and viewer, shifting perception, dissolving distance, and introducing a touch of humour and freedom."

Lukas Rupt, a 26-year-old environmental engineer, also in swimwear, thought the concept was a smart move.

"I like this idea to break this code," he said. "I like to go out of the comfort zone."

F.Wagner--VB