Agenda

On the advice and encouragement of George Keith (1686–1778), also known as Milord Maréchal, the governor of the Principality of Neuchâtel, Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721–1790) – a watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds, who had already built up a reputation in Switzerland and beyond – decided to travel to Madrid in 1758 to present some of his finest creations to King Ferdinand VI (1713–1759), a lover of clocks.

He took six exceptional pieces with him. Five were intended for the king, including the famous shepherd’s clock; the sixth was for Don Jacinto Jover, a Spanish nobleman, whom the governor had recommended.

Jaquet-Droz travelled with his father-in-law, Abram-Louis Sandoz (1712–1766), and one of his assistants, Jacques Gevril. They set off from La Chaux-de-Fonds on 4 April 1758 and reached Madrid on 22 May. Don Jover provided them with accommodation in Madrid.

However, Jaquet-Droz had to wait several months before the king received him, but on 4 September, the king saw the clocks. He was so impressed that he purchased them for a substantial sum, equivalent to the value of three large farms in Neuchâtel. After a lengthy stay in Spain, which included numerous visits, the party returned to La Chaux-de-Fonds on 20 March 1759.

This expedition is known thanks to an exceptional document: the travel diary of Abram-Louis Sandoz, which is kept in the library of La Chaux-de-Fonds.

(Source: Le voyage de Pierre Jaquet-Droz en Espagne (1758-1759), in the ‘Nouvelle Revue neuchâteloise‘, 169-170, 2026)

The exhibition Tout est lumière at Villa Flora of the Kunst Museum Winterthur showcases French painting from the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition brings together paintings, watercolours and drawings by Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and other artists who, from the mid-19th century onwards, were drawn from the cities to the French Mediterranean coast.

On the Riviera, they discovered a largely unpainted maritime nature and developed new forms of expression, breaking away from old traditions and advancing the move towards modernism in the light of the South.  The younger generation of artists followed this principle, seeking to sharpen their senses and develop their art in the light of the south.

The collector couple Hedy and Arthur Hahnloser also found a second home in the mild climate. From 1923 onwards, they spent the winter months in Cannes, where they engaged in lively exchanges with their artist friends.

Tout est lumière is a tribute to the light of the South – to the artists who found their freedom in it, and to Hedy and Arthur Hahnloser, who carried the light of the South forward in their collection.

Stories and myths have always been passed down from generation to generation, both orally and in writing. They help each generation to understand, structure and organise the habitat.

They speak of human emotions – of love and hope, but also of chaos and war. Every generation draws on them or even creates new ones. However, they spread not only through literature, but also through all manner of art forms and crafts.

The French bronze clocks in the current exhibition ‘Von Mythen und Geschichten’ also bear witness to this phenomenon. They were all made at the beginning of the 19th century and refer to Greek and Roman antiquity.

People of that time were well acquainted with the stories from the age of gods and heroes, and each group of motifs had its own meaning. Thus, the choice of the depicted myth already determined the function and atmosphere the clock was intended to evoke.

However, this effect can only be realised if the viewer can interpret the story. The exhibition aims to bring these stories back to life and thus give visitors access to the splendid clocks.

On 22 June 1476, the Swiss Confederates and their allies triumphed over the troops of the Burgundian Duke Charles the Bold (1433–1477) at Murten. Over four centuries later, in 1893, the Panoramagesellschaft Zürich enlisted Germany’s foremost panorama painter, Louis Braun (1836–1916), to capture the heat of this historic battle in a sweeping circular painting.

Impression of Louis Braun’s studio at the time of the panorama’s creation

At the time, panoramas attracted large audiences and generated significant revenue. Braun completed the extensive painting—100 metres long and 10 metres wide—within a year. Shortly after, starting in August 1894, the Panoramagesellschaft Zürich showcased ‘The Battle of Murten’ in a dedicated rotunda at the Utoquai.

Picture: Bernisches Historisches Museum

Louis Braun took a very thorough approach. He carried out extensive archival and source research. The panorama, therefore, reads like a reporter’s on-the-spot report. The panorama primarily captures the decisive moment of the battle. The Swiss surround the panicked Burgundian army.

Picture: Bernisches Historisches Museum

The panorama’s debut was a sensation. Switzerland itself was not yet fifty years united (1848). The nation had just celebrated the 700th anniversary of the Rütli (1891), and had enshrined its unique democracy in the constitution (1874 and 1891).

Replica from the Bern Historical Museum

The timing, however, was unfortunate: the advent of photography and, shortly afterwards, the first films meant that the panorama as a medium quickly became obsolete. Following this, the rotunda was demolished, and the panorama was transported to Murten in three sections. The canvas was not displayed to the public again until 2002, at the national exhibition Expo. 02.

One of the three canvases

The so-called Monolith, a metal cube placed in Lake Murten, formed the backdrop. The installation consisted of a panorama comprising three stacked sections that visually connected the lake, promenade, medieval town, and battlefield.

This panorama was later shown in a video montage at the Murten History Museum and is now presented by the Bern Historical Museum (Murten Ausgeslachtet) in this context.

Details of the 100-metre-long and ten-metre-high panorama

While it is unlikely that this captivating panorama will again be shown permanently in a rotunda, visitors to this exhibition can still gain a rich understanding of its origins and historical significance.

Martin Martini (1565-1610), the battle at Murten, after a lost work by Heinrich Bichler (1466-1497), in the city hall of Freiburg. Collection: Bernisches Historisches Museum

Moreover, it is perhaps no coincidence that it is in Switzerland that most of the panoramas of this medium, so popular in the 19th century, have been preserved in rotundas: in Einsiedeln (The Crucifixion of Christ), Thun (Wocher Panorama of the City of Thun) and Lucerne (Bourbaki Panorama).

A small part of the ‘Burgundian spoils

Collection: Bernisches Historisches Museum

From 15 February to 3 May 2026, the Kirchner Museum Davos presents
an exhibition on Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) and Pablo Picasso (1881–1973). Around 100 paintings, sculptures, drawings and graphic works offer a new perspective on two of the most influential artists of the modern era.

The starting point for the exhibition is a remarkable wish expressed by Kirchner.
In 1933, he said he hoped that his works would one day be displayed alongside those of Pablo Picasso (‘…I hope for an international exhibition where Picasso and I will hang side by side’).

Based on this idea, the exhibition highlights the creative power of these two contemporaries who never met, who responded to the challenges of their time in different artistic ways, but who nevertheless repeatedly approached each other in surprising ways in their work.

Over almost four decades, both artists responded to the same historical and social upheavals of modernity – albeit with fundamentally different aesthetic strategies.

The exhibition closely follows this simultaneity of proximity and difference and reveals how two of the most important artists of the 20th century each developed their own responses to a world that was radically changing.

From 3 to 8 March 2026, the Aargauer Kunsthaus celebrates the start of spring with the exhibition “Flowers for Art” (Blumen für die Kunst).

The Kunsthaus presents this exposition in cooperation with Flowers to Arts.  The florists will be inspired by works of Art from the Aargauer Kunsthaus collection, giving them a floral response.

Flowers for Art bridges floristry and Art, offering surprising perspectives on the 14 works in the collection.

(Source and further information: Das Aargauer Kunsthaus)

Impressions from the exhibition

The Old Swiss Confederacy already had extensive networks across Europe and beyond in the early modern period. Less well known are the cultural relationships between early Switzerland and England, which this exhibition explores.

A central theme is travel, understood both as the mobility and migration of people and as the movement of letters, books, and ideas. On the one hand, the exhibition addresses the concrete conditions and challenges of travel in the early modern period.

On the other hand, it highlights that travellers took their homeland and culture with them: they maintained or reactivated contacts, encouraged others to follow, experienced numerous encounters, brought experiences back home, and often returned transformed.

Map of Switzerland showing the routes taken by William Coxe in 1805. Collection: Universitätsbibliothek VB A2:1:70

In this context, “London Calling” signifies that English visitors came to collaborate—often with Reformed theologians—and, conversely, that Swiss clergy and scholars followed the call of the great city of London, a centre of science and culture with wide-reaching influence.

Basel and London form the two poles of the exhibition, between which the travellers and objects move. The exhibition offers the public a fascinating insight into the themes and forms of intercultural exchange at the dawn of the early modern era, drawing on the rich holdings of the University Library of Basel.

Impressions from the exhibition

Athena guides the visitors through the Hero Games via an audio guide in three languages (English, German, and French). A total of seven missions, in the form of both analogue and digital games, lead visitors in the footsteps of their ancient predecessors. They experience the same adventures, face the same monsters, and solve the same puzzles.

On their way, they encounter the terrifying Medusa at the edge of the world, followed by the forest of Calydon and the gigantic boar, a malevolent monster. They overcome the three-headed Cerberus in the underworld and face the man-eating Minotaur in its labyrinth on Crete.

They find themselves in the Greek camp, which has been besieging Troy for ten years. In the room of Medea, one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world, there is much to see. The visitors add the most essential ingredients. They must strictly follow the recipe.

The final mission takes them to the mountains of Thebes. Here, the cruel Sphinx sits on a rock and poses a riddle to anyone who wants to pass. Finally, the visitors have endured the adventures and reached the sacred city of Delphi. Here, Apollo, the god of prophecy, presides over the oracle site. In his temple, he speaks through his prophetess, the Pythia. The Pythia proclaims her oracles while seated on a tripod cauldron.

Lausanne, the birthplace of the artist Félix Vallotton (1865–1925), is hosting the most extensive retrospective of his work ever, a tribute marking the centennial of his death.

As part of Plateforme 10, the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA) owns a vast collection of Vallotton’s output. Together with the Fondation Félix Vallotton, a centre for documentation and research, they put the artist and his work into a new perspective. The show focuses on his lucid mind, critical spirit, biting humour and innovative approach.

Another show (Vallotton. The Ingenious Laboratory) presents the origins of Félix Vallotton’s work, exploring the various phases of his growing output across a surprising range of media, including illustration, engraving, painting, and writing.

Félix Vallotton, 1915, Le crime châtié. Collection: Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne