The Musée Jenisch in Vevey presents five centuries of paintings, drawings and prints in a neoclassical building opened in 1897. Home to the Cantonal Print Collection and the Oskar Kokoschka Foundation, it is a leading reference for the graphic arts.
Fine and applied arts museums
Main highlights
- Outstanding graphic arts : some 35,000 prints, from Dürer and Rembrandt to Goya and Picasso
- European and Swiss painting : Corot, Courbet, Hodler, Vallotton, Giacometti and Balthus
- Oskar Kokoschka Foundation : paintings, drawings and documents by the Expressionist painter
Overview
Opened in 1897, the Musée Jenisch is the second-largest art museum in the canton of Vaud. Its neoclassical building, designed by architect Lorenzo Bonanomi, features a colonnaded façade and a grand ceremonial staircase. The museum owes its existence to Fanny Jenisch (1801-1881), a Hamburg benefactor who bequeathed a sum to Vevey to build a museum, without ever having visited the town.
The Oskar Kokoschka Foundation moved in in 1982, followed in 1989 by the Cantonal Print Collection, which brings together the holdings of the William Cuendet Foundation & Atelier de Saint-Prex and the canton’s Department of Prints and Drawings. The museum holds more than 40,000 works.
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What to see and do
The painting collections cover European and Swiss art from the 18th to the 21st century, with canvases by Corot, Courbet, Hodler, Vallotton, Giacometti and Balthus. One section is devoted to artists connected with the region, such as François Bocion and his landscapes of Lake Geneva.
The Cantonal Print Collection comprises around 35,000 works on paper : engravings, lithographs and screen prints by Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso. The Oskar Kokoschka Foundation displays paintings, drawings and documents by the Austrian Expressionist, who spent his final years near Vevey.
Each year the museum stages several temporary exhibitions, often focusing on drawing and printmaking, accompanied by catalogues. Guided tours, talks and creative workshops for children and adults round out the programme.
Practical information
Getting there : a 3-minute walk from Vevey SBB railway station and 10 minutes from the boat landing stage. Gare and Vieille-Ville car parks nearby.
Visit duration : allow 1.5 to 2 hours.
Accessibility : the museum is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility, with a lift to all floors. Free activity booklets for children.
On site : a fine-arts bookshop and a cafeteria with a terrace in the garden.
Visitor tips
Works on paper are light-sensitive and displayed on rotation : check the Print Collection’s programme in advance if you are interested in a specific work. Groups of more than 10 people should book their guided tour through the education department.
This place is part of the selection Vevey and Montreux : gems of the Vaud Riviera.
Nearby
- The Alimentarium explores food through interactive exhibitions and workshops on the shores of Lake Geneva.
- The Vevey History Museum, housed in the Maison Baillivale, traces the town’s urban, craft and social past.
- The Russian Orthodox Church of St Barbara displays its colourful domes in the heart of Vevey.
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