Finding Chagall in small-town Switzerland

Posted by Jul on 28 August 2007

My trip to French-speaking Switzerland the other week had a purpose (beyond making fun of the newspapers, I mean)– our goal was to find art and look at it. Day one was spent in Lausanne, a lovely, hilly town on Lake Geneva, where after a lovely Middle Eastern lunch my friend Ali and I visited the Art Brut museum. ‘Art Brut’ is a term used to encompass a wide variety of outsider art, created by people who lack formal art training, are mentally ill, or are just a little kooky (as if most regular artists didn’t fall into at least one of these categories). The museum was fascinating, as were the biographies of the artists whose works were on display.

We spent the evening in Lausanne and had dinner with some friends, and then retired to our room at the Lausanne Guesthouse. This hostel (which also has private rooms – I’m much too old to sleep in a room with 20 backpackers) was quite a good deal (for Switzerland). Our room had a balcony with a gorgeous view of the lake, which is where we enjoyed breakfast before hopping on the train to Martigny.

Martigny is a tiny town nestled between a couple vineyard-covered mountains. It’s cute enough, but I doubt it would ever see much tourist action if it weren’t for the world-class art exhibits put on by the Foundation Pierre Gianadda. We were sucked in by promises of a large Marc Chagall exhibit, and weren’t disappointed. The exhibition space was… different. It kind of reminded me of a 1970s American church annex or community center. It was surprisingly crowded for a Wednesday morning, but the paintings were worth it.

The complex also has a large sculpture garden (featuring, among other things, a giant thumb and a giant breast). We wandered through this (the garden, not the boob) on our way to the second building which housed a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, featuring models of the some of the great artist’s many inventions, including drawbridges, military tanks, and flying machines. His brilliance always makes me drool. And reminds me to practice my mirror-writing.

We headed back into town and had a late lunch under the chestnut trees on the main square of Martigny before hopping on a train back to Zurich. Mission accomplished.

Tags: art, Switzerland, travel

Comments (6)

• 
  Bek

  August 28th, 2007

  Chagall is one of my favorite painters! I saw some of his art years ago at an exhibition in Austria and would go anytime again if it’s somewhere near us.

• 
  The Big Finn

  August 29th, 2007

  I’ve been to the Musée de l’Art Brut several times. It’s one of the few museums where my twenty minute attention span managed to be stretched out to a couple of hours. Plus, the museum has been practically empty each time I’ve been there. Amazing!

• 
  Monica

  August 29th, 2007

  I’ll be heading to that exhibit this weekend. Last weekend we saw Chagall’s stained glass in a small exhibit in Romont.

  Remind me to get a good breast feeding picture in front of the giant breast sculpture…

• 
  Roam2Rome

  August 29th, 2007

  Oh most definitely! I also prefer private rooms than to share sleeping room with 20 strangers!

  Da Vinci’s exhibit sounds wonderful

• 
  Jul

  August 29th, 2007

  Bek – I agree – Chagall rocks! Be sure to check out the Frauenkirche windows if you’re ever in Zurich.

  Monica – That sounds like a perfect spot for a little public breastfeeding. And you know I did come home with a photo of Ali giving a “thumbs up” next to the giant thumb…

• 
  Z

  September 9th, 2007

  I was one day too early for the Chagall exhibit so I have to return. I went for the St Bernard museum. Martigny is a strange little place, isn’t it? The streets were all deserted and it looked like a ghost town although it was the middle of the week in the middle of the summer.