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Several Swiss cultural institutions will celebrate in 2025 the centenary of the death of the painter Félix Vallotton (1865–1925). A major retrospective is notably planned for the fall in Lausanne, his hometown.
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November 17, 2024 – 09:41
(Keystone-ATS) The Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne (MCBA), which houses the largest collection of works by the artist in the world, and the Félix Vallotton Foundation will present “Vallotton forever”, an “exceptional retrospective”. Loaned by public and private collections, in Switzerland and Europe, more than 200 major works will be on display from October 24, 2025 to February 15, 2026, announces the MCBA.
In dialogue
At the same time, and still in the Lausanne museum, “Vallotton. The Ingenious Laboratory”, a small-format exhibition, will focus on the genesis of his work. It will explore the stages of creation, in fields as varied as illustration, engraving, painting and even writing.
The other museums present in the Lausanne arts district, Photo Elysée and mudac, will also present in 2025 events linked to the world of the man who was a painter, engraver, illustrator and writer.
The Jenisch Museum in Vevey will invite living artists and ECAL students to pay tribute to Vallotton. From January 29 to May 25, 2025, their pieces will enter into dialogue with a selection of pieces by the artist from the institution’s collections.
Celebrated in Winterthur
In German-speaking Switzerland, the Kunst Museum Winterthur is devoting a major exhibition to the painter, notably at the Villa Flora where he was a very appreciated guest. From April 12 to September 7 “Vallotton. Lost Illusions” will take a new look at the work and the artist, with more than 150 works covering all phases of his creation.
Note that Vallotton benefited from particular recognition in this city: he had already been encouraged and celebrated there during his lifetime.
And in Ascona
Ticino is not left out. The Museo Castello San Materno in Ascona will offer an exhibition focused on Vallotton’s landscapes, still lifes and nudes from May 11 to September 7. Thanks to loans from an important Swiss private collection, which has not been presented to the public for a long time, the public will be able to discover emblematic paintings by the artist.
Several works will be published on the occasion of this centenary. Among other things, an exhaustive, documented and commented directory of some 1,200 press drawings and illustrations by Félix Vallotton. This catalog raisonné will be published in electronic form, accessible online and free of charge (vallotton-illustrateur.ch).
