Vallotton. The Ingenious Laboratory

Drawing on the extensive collections of the artist’s work in MCBA and the Félix Vallotton Foundation, the show explores the different techniques used by the artist throughout his career and the creative processes that are specific to each of them. This dynamic approach places the preparatory work and the completed works of art in dialogue, offering a novel look at Vallotton’s methods as well as the evolution of his artistic thinking.The public is invited to discover a selection of the artist’s sketchbooks, tokens of his research campaigns in the field in preparation for the landscape paintings. More elaborate drawings, along with photographs, allow us to grasp the origins and construction of complex and ambitious compositions. The displays also bring to light his work as an engraver in copper and wood, with preparatory drawings, matrices, working proofs and definitive prints.The show also looks to highlight Vallotton’s activities as an illustrator and newspaper draughtsman. Step by step, we follow the different phases of the printing process, from the original drawing right up to publication in books and periodicals. Finally, the display of manuscripts and writings reveals yet another facet of Vallotton, the literary output of a man who was not only a visual artist, but also an author and art critic.