Lausanne, the birthplace of the artist Félix Vallotton (1865–1925), is hosting the largest retrospective of his work ever, a tribute marking the centennial of his death. Part of the Plateforme 10 arts district, the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA), home a very important collection of Vallotton’s output, and the Fondation Félix Vallotton, a centre for documentation and research, are taking a novel approach to an artist known for his lucid mind, critical spirit, and biting humour.

« Come and see here what you won’t see elsewhere! » is the slogan for the permanent exhibition, laid out chronologically over two floors to showcase treasures from Vaud’s art collections, with some three hundred works dating from the eighteenth century to the present day.

In conjunction with Vallotton Forever, featuring the artist’s masterpieces, this small-format show focuses on the origins of Félix Vallotton’s work, exploring the various phases of his growing output in a surprising range of mediums, including illustration, engraving, painting, even writing.

Inspired by the architecture of transitional spaces, Giulia Essyad transforms the MCBA’s Espace Projet gallery into a sensory and spiritual labyrinth. Recipient of the 9th Gustave Buchet Prize, the Lausanne-born artist explores the mechanisms of desire and commodification through an immersive installation that weaves together DIY technologies, digital imagery, and personal memories.

Co-produced by the Institut pour la photographie in Lille and Photo Elysée, L is for Look explores children’s photo books, from their industrial boom in the 1930s to the present day. Although this type of publication remains marginal in the publishing landscape, it bears witness to the evolution of our perception of photography, the history of education, and the status of children in Western societies over more than a century.

Children’s photobooks have benefited from the emergence of new image-centered teaching methods. Photography is finding its way into all areas of children’s literature, from picture books to fiction, including works with educational, pedagogical, or creative aims. By renewing this publishing genre, it is also opening up to new and original forms, thanks to the collaboration of graphic designers, artists, illustrators, and authors.

Photo Elysée offers a critical reinterpretation of the photographic archives of the Lehnert & Landrock studio, which have been part of the museum’s collection since 1985. Active in North Africa in the early 20th century, Rudolf Franz Lehnert (1878–1948) and Ernst Heinrich Landrock (1878–1966) constructed and disseminated an iconography of the Orient intended for a European audience, deeply marked by the colonial context of their time.

The original archives are exhibited alongside contemporary works by Nouf Aljowaysir and Gloria Oyarzabal, which explore the history and legacy of colonial representations.

Twenty years after opening its doors to emerging photographers with the landmark exhibition reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow, Photo Elysée reaffirms its commitment to supporting young talent with Gen Z: Shaping a New Gaze.

This new exhibition brings together the work of 66 international artists, primarily from Generation Z – broadly defined as those born between the mid-1990s and 2010 – to explore the concerns of this generation.