Swiss Art Gallery · The story library

Artists’ stories

An encounter with art every day. Stories to read, listen to and rediscover.

The story library

115 stories

Find stories by artist, title or subject.

Alice Bailly — Femme au miroir ou Femme à la toilette — Image creditsAlice Bailly · Photo Uto / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Alice Bailly — « Femme au miroir ou Femme à la toilette ». Another work by the artist, chosen as a visual connection to the story.
Alice Bailly · Photo Uto / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Image source Licence
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

Alice Bailly · 2 min read

Alice Bailly: when wool claims its place among the fine arts

In Geneva, during the First World War, Alice Bailly transforms wool and silk threads and metallic papers into paintings. With Les rythmiciennes, this technique, regarded as a craft, becomes a pictorial manifesto.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

François Bocion — Le Port d’Ouchy — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Le Port d’Ouchy · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Mlafarge
François Bocion — « Le Port d’Ouchy ».
François Bocion · Le Port d’Ouchy · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Mlafarge
Image source Licence
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

François Bocion · 4 min read

François Bocion: the first painting inventoried before the museum opened

In Vevey, a public subscription was launched in 1893 for François Bocion’s Le Port d’Ouchy. However, the Musée Jenisch’s pages differ on the date of acquisition: the work’s catalogue entry gives 1896, while the history page states 1893. Both present the painting as the first inventory number in the collection, predating the museum’s inauguration in March 1897.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

Gustave Buchet — Torse en mouvement, 1918 — Image creditsGustave Buchet · Torse en mouvement, 1918 · Image : Sotheby’s
Gustave Buchet — « Torse en mouvement, 1918 ». A work by the artist, selected for its visual connection to the story.
Gustave Buchet · Torse en mouvement, 1918 · Image : Sotheby’s
Image source
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

Gustave Buchet · 3 min read

Gustave Buchet: a Futurist Entombment at the Concours Diday

In 1918, Gustave Buchet presented a Futurist interpretation of the Entombment at the Concours Diday. The work sparked controversy and was awarded joint fourth prize. In 1919, his first solo exhibition confirmed his position as a leading figure of Futurism.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

Image creditsFirmin Massot · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Purchase, C. G. Boerner Gift, 2006 · CC0 1.0 · Format WebP, dimensions réduites
Firmin Massot, Portrait of a Seated Young Lady Drawing under a Tree, late 18th–19th century. Another portrait by the artist, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Firmin Massot · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Purchase, C. G. Boerner Gift, 2006 · CC0 1.0 · Format WebP, dimensions réduites
Image source Licence
Resized and converted to WebP, without cropping.

Firmin Massot · 3 min read

Firmin Massot: the portrait of his future wife attributed to three artists

In 1793 or 1794, Firmin Massot, Wolfgang-Adam Töpffer and Jacques-Laurent Agasse created the Portrait of the Demoiselles Mégevand. One of the two women depicted, Anne-Louise, married Massot in 1795.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

Sophie Taeuber-Arp — Tête dada — Image creditsSophie Taeuber-Arp ; photo : Hiart — CC0 1.0.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp — « Tête dada ». Another work by the artist, chosen as a visual connection to the story.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp ; photo : Hiart — CC0 1.0.
Image source Licence
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

Sophie Taeuber-Arp · 3 min read

Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Three Performances to Enter History

In Zurich in 1918, Sophie Taeuber-Arp transformed an Italian fairy play into geometric theatre. The Spanish flu and the management’s scepticism limited the play to three performances, but heads and marionettes were soon presented in an exhibition and featured in a Dadaist publication.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

Ferdinand Hodler — La Nuit — Image creditsFerdinand Hodler · La Nuit · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Ferdinand Hodler — « La Nuit ».
Ferdinand Hodler · La Nuit · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Image source Licence
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

Ferdinand Hodler · 1 min read

Hodler: when exclusion opens the way to Paris

In 1891, The Night is excluded from an exhibition in Geneva. Hodler finds another way to show it. The rejection becomes a turning point.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story

Gustave Buchet — Composition, 1921 — Image creditsGustave Buchet · Composition, 1921 · Image : Beurret Bailly Widmer
Gustave Buchet — « Composition, 1921 ». A work by the artist, selected for its visual connection to the story.
Gustave Buchet · Composition, 1921 · Image : Beurret Bailly Widmer
Image source
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

Gustave Buchet · 1 min read

Gustave Buchet, the Dada Detour

Before the geometric compositions, there was a disorienting episode. In Geneva, Gustave Buchet encountered Dada, then set out once again for Paris.

Read the story →▶ Listen to the story