The Crest Collection
Presented chronologically, the collection traces the history of art in Geneva from the 18th century to the mid-20th century, with a primary focus on the lake and the surrounding mountains. Views of Lake Geneva – the most numerous – stand alongside scenes from Valais. The collection also brings together portraits and nudes, still lifes and a few historical subjects.
History of the Collection
When Jean-Louis Micheli brought home a painting, a Bois de Jussy by the painter Alexandre Calame, for Christmas in 1946, his young son Yves (barely ten years old at the time) could not have imagined the later impact of this work which he found fascinating. Over time, this painting inspired him to assemble a collection of works by Genevan artists. Some sixty years later his passion for art led him to create a space to showcase more than a hundred paintings and sculptures: the “Collection du Crest”.
In addition to paintings from masters as renowned as Jean-Etienne Liotard, Jacques-Laurent Agasse, James Pradier or Ferdinand Hodler, some works also came in from the studios of less renowned but equally deserving artists. The common denominator among this great collection of artists is their contribution to the rise of Genevan and Swiss art, with some even gaining international recognition. Each artist also holds a special relationship with the City of Calvin, having either been born there, studied there or spent a significant part of their career there. Moreover, there are many links between all these artists through both professional and family relationships. Barthélemy Menn, a professor at Beaux-Arts for more than half a century, had many of them as students, including Auguste Baud-Bovy and Ferdinand Hodler.
Unique Architecture
The exhibition space of the Collection is the work of Charles Pictet & Baptiste Broillet, associate architects. The galleries for the Collection were designed in a large farm building rebuilt after a fire that had ravaged the farm in June 1989. The hayloft located on the upper floor had lost its agricultural function and offered a large space suitable for housing the Collection.
The area is accessed through the farmyard, and the space, which is both vast and intimate, make it possible to showcase both very large pictures as well as smaller works. The architecture was designed with an emphasis on optimal integration into the agricultural estate in order to offer visitors a unique experience. Looking through the the large diamond-shaped windows, visitors can enjoy magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
