Four cultural history museums in Basel joined forces for this ambitious project on the relationship between humans and animals. In the summer of 2021, they realized four individual exhibitions, each with a different focus. Shows at Antikenmuseum Basel and Sammlung Ludwig, the Historisches Museum Basel, the Museum der Kulturen Basel, and the Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel address the topic from different angles against the backdrop of their respective research focus. The results of the individual projects become visible in this joint publication. It reveals ambivalences, dependencies and serious historical shifts within the human-animal relationship over the centuries – from the harnessing of animals to their exaltation as deities.

Animalistic! One Theme – Four Exhibitions is a project initiated by the Antikenmuseum Basel and Sammlung Ludwig, the Historisches Museum Basel, the Museum der Kulturen Basel, and the Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel, culminating in four exhibitions and a joint publication in the summer of 2021.