The La Chaux-de-Fonds Museum of Fine Arts presents collections ranging from the 19th-century avant-gardes to contemporary art, with a strong focus on Swiss painting. An entire room is devoted to the Style sapin, a local variant of Art Nouveau.
Fine and applied arts museums
Main highlights
- Swiss painting with works by Hodler, Anker, Vallotton, Alice Bailly and Édouard Vallet
- Junod collection of thirty paintings, from Delacroix and Van Gogh to Derain and Modigliani
- Art Deco building from 1926 designed by René Chapallaz and the painter Charles L’Eplattenier
Overview
The La Chaux-de-Fonds Museum of Fine Arts grew out of the Société des amis des arts, founded in the 19th century. After several decades in temporary premises, it moved in 1926 into an Art Deco building designed by the architect René Chapallaz and the painter Charles L’Eplattenier, teacher of the young Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier.
The collections span the avant-gardes of the 19th and 20th centuries through to contemporary art. Swiss painting features prominently, with Ferdinand Hodler, Albert Anker, Félix Vallotton, Alice Bailly, Édouard Vallet and Gustave Buchet. The collection of the architect Erwin Oberwiler sheds light on Swiss art from the second half of the 20th century.
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What to see and do
The permanent exhibition occupies two floors. On the ground floor, a room is dedicated to Art Nouveau and the Style sapin, unique to La Chaux-de-Fonds : clocks, watch cases, furniture, stained glass, paintings and sculptures by Charles L’Eplattenier, André Evard, Marie-Louise Goering-Roessinger and Charles-Édouard Jeanneret.
On the first floor, the René and Madeleine Junod collection, bequeathed in 1986, brings together thirty paintings. It traces landscape from Constable to Soutine, portraiture from Liotard to Modigliani, and the colourist lineage of Delacroix, Monticelli, Van Gogh and Derain.
The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, notably in the rooms located beneath the Parc des Musées. It also houses deposits, including the collection of the Fondation Hermine Maurer and the René Bauermeister archive, a pioneer of video art in Switzerland.
Practical information
Getting there : the museum is located in the Parc des Musées, near the railway station, within walking distance of the town centre and accessible by public transport.
Visit duration : about 2 hours to see the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions.
On site : parking is available near the Parc des Musées.
Visiting tips
Take time to appreciate the building itself, its volumes and interior decoration, as well as the alternation of modern and historic rooms. Start with the Style sapin room to understand this local art before exploring the collections upstairs. The Parc des Musées is ideal for a stroll before or after your visit.
Nearby attractions
- MUZOO combines a zoo, museum and educational space devoted to biodiversity and its conservation.
- The MIH International Museum of Horology traces the history of timekeeping, from the sundial to the atomic clock.
- The Col de la Vue des Alpes, on a Jura ridge, offers views of the Alps and walking trails.
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