The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts or in short MCBA) in Lausanne was created in 1841. Its collection now comprises more than 10,000 artworks with a particular focus on art from the end of the eighteenth century to contemporary art.

Architecture
Previously housed inside the Espace Arlaud and then the Palais de Rumine, the MCBA occupies since 2019 a building designed by Spanish architecture studio Barozzi/Veiga and located in Lausanne's museum district Plateforme10.
The new building is a rectangular monolith, built parallel to the railway tracks. The deep vertical fins were designed in order to prevent any direct sunlight from entering the exhibition spaces. While its facade is mostly closed towards the railway side for conservation reasons, it is much more open towards the north. Its windows reflect the cityscape during the day while allowing artificial light to flow out onto the square during the night.

facade of the MCBA

MCBA, Lausanne - museum entrance in the evening

deep vertical fins of the MCBA's facade

full building view of the MCBA

MCBA and railway tracks

MCBA in the evening
The sculpture in front of the museum by Olivier Mosset and Xavier Veilhan is titled “Crocodile” after the iconic crocodile-shaped Swiss electric train engine that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.

"Crocodile" sculpture by Olivier Mosset and Xavier Veilhan in front of the MCBA
The MCBA's entrance hall, with views towards the Lausanne train station and the Léman, features the 14.5m high sculpture "Luce e ombra" by the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. The arched window was preserved from the 19th-century train hall previously located in the space of the new museum building.

MCBA, Lausanne - entrance hall

entrance hall with the Luce e ombra sculpture by Giuseppe Penone

MCBA, Lausanne - entrance hall
In addition to the entrance hall with the ticket office, the ground floor offers space for the museum bookstore and a restaurant.

MCBA, Lausanne - restaurant

MCBA, Lausanne - bookstore
Inside the new museum building, the artworks are located on the second and third levels, with one side dedicated to the permanent collection and the other side used for temporary exhibitions.
Permanent Collection
Around 300 works are shown as part of the MCBA's permanent collection. The collection primarily highlights artists from French-speaking Switzerland, offering a rich insight into the region's cultural and artistic heritage. Additionally, the museum places these works in dialogue with international pieces, enabling comparisons across similar time periods or artistic movements.
Room 1, titled "The Road to Modernity" starts in the Renaissance period. "Le massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy" de François Dubois and several works by Charles Gleyre are shown here.

Le massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy, François Dubois

La bataille du Léman, Charles Gleyre, 1858

paintings by Charles Gleyre
In Room 2 of the permanent collection, Swiss painter Ernest Biéler is represented with several large scale works that illustrate both his depictions of life in the Valais region and his later explorations of the Art Nouveau style.

Devant l’église de Saint-Germain à Savièse, Ernest Biéler, 1886

Portrait d’Édouard Rod, Ernest Biéler, 1909

L’eau mystérieuse, Ernest Biéler, 1911
It also shows several works by Lausanne born artist Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen.

paintings "L'aurore" and "Les Deux Parisiennes" by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen
Rooms 3 and 4 show works from the post-impressionist period until the 1950. Among them are large collection of paintings by Lausanne-born painter Félix Vallotton.

Permanent Collection - Félix Vallotton
Other Swiss artists, such as Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee and Ferdinand Hodler, are also on display.

Permanent Collection - Alberto Giacometti

Le lac Léman vu de Chexbres, Ferdinand Hodler, 1904

Am Nil, Paul Klee, 1939
In the same room, visitors can also admire paintings by Jean Dubuffet, part of an exceptional donation of 34 works from the art collection of Mireille and James Lévy, gifted to the MCBA in 2019.

Paintings "Portrait d’Antonin Artaud" (1950) and "Visage attentif" (1952) by Jean Dubuffet

La vision tisserande, Jean Dubuffet (1976)
On the third floor, visitors are immersed in contemporary art, starting with pioneering abstract works from the 1950s, including Pierre Soulages' Peinture, and moving through subsequent decades with works like Tadeusz Kantor's Multipart from 1970, offering an overview of modern artistic movements.

Peinture, Pierre Soulages

Multipart, Tadeusz Kantor (1970)

Pacific Fiction – Study for Monument, Julian Charrière, 2016

Sans titre, Olivier Mosset, 1982
Zénith by Chérif et Silvie Defraoui is an installation of 17 canvases that manipulate written words - cutting off their lower halves - to emphasize their symbolic and decorative potential.

Zénith, Chérif et Silvie Defraoui, 1991
Current Temporary Exhibition(s)
Alice Pauli. Gallerist, Collector, Art Patron
2025-02-14 - 2025-05-04
The exhibition honors the remarkable career of Alice Pauli (1922–2022), a pioneering figure in the Swiss and international art scenes. Through ten sections, it traces her professional and personal journey, showcasing works from the museum’s collection and loans that reflect her lifelong dedication to supporting and promoting contemporary artists.
As Alice Pauli, together with her husband Pierre, played a key role in launching the Biennale internationale de la tapisserie, many large-format textiles are shown.

Amérique, Jean Lurçat (1960)

Hommage à Pierre Pauli, Jagoda Buić (1971)
Several works by Giuseppe Penone, who created also the sculpture in the museum entrance hall, are part of the exhibition

Foglie di pietra, Giuseppe Penone (2014)

artworks by Giuseppe Penone

Palpebra e spilli, Giuseppe Penone (1995)
Several works by Frank Stella and Pierre Soulages are also on display.

artworks by Frank Stella

room with works by Pierre Soulages
Past Temporary Exhibitions
Thalassa ! Thalassa ! Imagery of the Sea
2024-10-04 - 2025-01-12
The Thalassa! exhibition at the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne explores humanity's enduring fascination with the sea through art from the 19th century to today. Featuring works across painting, photography, and installation, it examines shifting perceptions of the ocean as a space of mystery, beauty, and transformation, while addressing contemporary concerns like ecological crises and migratory challenges.

Soir antique, Alphonse Osbert, 1908

Thalassa! Salle 1 - Rivages

Thalassa! Salle 3 - Abysses

Thalassa! - Crochet Coral Reef
Surréalism. Le Grand Jeu
2024-04-12 - 2024-08-25
Marking the centennial of the first Surrealist manifesto, the MCBA’s 2024 exhibition explored the enduring relevance of Surrealism through the theme of play. Featuring over 60 historical and contemporary artists, the show examined how play served as both a creative and subversive force within the movement, challenging traditional values and inspiring new forms of art.

Cygnes reflétant des éléphants, Salvador Dali, 1937

Mouvement perpétual, René Magritte, 1935

The mirror, Dorothea Tanning, 1950

Rotorelief, Marcel Duchamp, 1935

Hallucinations en cinq chapitres, Maëlle Gross, 2024
Immersion. The Origins: 1949 - 1969
2023-11-04 - 2024-03-03
Spanning the 1950s and 1960s, the exhibition highlighted how immersive works, designed to engage the senses and break from daily life, emerged as a response to evolving perceptions of art and space. These installations invited audiences to become part of an alternative reality, blending art and viewer into a shared ecosystem.

hole in home, Ferdinand Spindel, 1966

Vento di s. e. velocità 40 nodi, Laura Grisi, 1968

Fanflashtic, USCO, 1968

Une caverne de l’anti-matière, Pinot Gallizio, 1958-1959

Feather Room, Judy Chicago, 1966

Spazio elastico, Gianni Colombo, 1967

Raemar Pink White, James Turrell, 1969
Lubaina Himid. So many dreams
2022-11-04 - 2023-02-05
The exhibition Lubaina Himid. So Many Dreams offered a comprehensive overview of the British artist's four-decade career, showcasing her vibrant paintings and monumental installations. A pioneer of the British Black Art movement and winner of the 2017 Turner Prize, Himid’s work explores overlooked histories, colonial legacies, and the extraordinary in daily life. Drawing inspiration from theater, opera, Western painting, and global textile patterns, she creates spaces that challenge viewers to reconsider narratives, memory, and their own place within her works.

Lubaina Himid. So many dreams

Blue Grid Test, Lubaina Himid

Old Boat/New Money, Lubaina Himid

Lubaina Himid. So many dreams

Freedom and Change, Lubaina Himid
Kiki Smith. Hearing You with My Eyes
2020-10-09 - 2021-01-10
The exhibition featured nearly 100 works by German-born American artist Kiki Smith, spanning 40 years, many of which had never been shown in Europe. Centered on sensory perception, it explored Smith’s focus on the body, its symbolic meaning, and its connection to the natural world.

Untitled, Kiki Smith, 1992

Series of 12 tapestries, Kiki Smith, 2012-2015

Rogue Stars, Kiki Smith, 2012

Moon on Crutches, Kiki Smith, 2002

Untitled, Kiki Smith, 1990
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