Pierre Arnaud Foundation

The Foundation was created in honour of the French industrialist and collector Pierre Arnaud (1922-1996), who was based in Valais.

It is destined to compare Swiss painting with major international trends in painting from 1850 to 1950, creating a junction between western and non-western art from this same period.

The Pierre Arnaud Foundation will organise two exhibitions per year in line with the resort’s winter and summer seasons. The inaugural display, called “Divisionnisme: Couleur maîtrisée? Couleur éclatée!” (“Divisionism: Colour control? Explosive colour!”), kicks off a winter cycle comprising five exhibitions over the course of five years. In the light of works by artists from the Alpine region, these will provide a new interpretation of Divisionism, Realism, Romanticism and Symbolism.

JP Emery & Partners designed the innovative architecture of the 900 sqm Pierre Arnaud Foundation. Its reflective glass façade, entirely covered with solar cells, makes the structure relatively independent in terms of energy whilst also seamlessly integrating the plateau’s mountain scenery. In addition, the Foundation’s museography was assigned to the designer and scenographer Adrien Gardère, responsible for the exhibition design of the Louvre Lens, working closely with the agency on-situ regarding developments in multimedia. The Pierre Arnaud Foundation has chosen to focus its curatorial approach upon the dialogue and confrontation between different practices, thinking and cultures, taking the view that this perspective helps to provide a different vision of the world of art.

The Pierre Arnaud Foundation
Centre d’Art, Lens ⁄ Montana
1, route de Crans, Lens, Switzerland
Area: 900 sqm
Architects: JP Emery & Partners
Museography: Adrien Gardère
Inauguration: December 22, 2013