Initially co-founded in 1970 as „Galerie Minimax“ by Margareta and Miklos von Bartha, the gallery has been under the direction of Stefan von Bartha since 2008. Von Bartha has established a contemporary programme, representing an international roster of artists working across a diverse range of media: Imi Knoebel, Superflex, Terry Haggerty, John Wood & Paul Harrison, and Felipe Mujica, among others.
The gallery nurtures new generations of artists, whilst supporting the continually evolving practice of their established artists. As one of the longest-running international contemporary art galleries, von Bartha continues to support the careers of influential artists such as Camille Graeser, Fritz Glarner and Olle Baertling.

Since its inception, von Bartha has exhibited modern and contemporary artists across historically significant movements such as Zero, Arte Concreto and Arte Madí. Representing over twenty-five artists and estates, von Bartha’s programme presents contemporary artists in a dialogue with the history of Concrete and Kinetic art.
The gallery’s relocation and expansion into a converted garage in Kannenfeldplatz, Basel has allowed for full-scale exhibitions, including large-scale installations, retrospectives and performances to take place.
From 2006 to 2022, von Bartha held a second outpost, located in S-chanf in the Engadin Alps; the white cube space, in the site of a former barn of an old patrician house, was used for focused projects and site-specific installations.

In December 2021, von Bartha opened a new gallery space in Kridttårnet (in English: ‘Limestone tower’), an iconic and historical building in Copenhagen, Denmark. The first international gallery to open an outpost in the Scandinavian city, von Bartha Copenhagen continues the gallery’s tradition of taking over distinctive architectural spaces.