Open every day From April to October: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. From November to March: 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.	!!! Attention: this exhibition is over. Carl Bucher - Sculptures and paintings From the 28th of May until the 6th of November 2011 The "Petrified" of Carl Bucher are amongst the strong symbols of contemporary humanism. Indeed, the monumental and tragic sculpted group marks places dedicates to humanitarian causes, such as the International Museum of the Red Cross in Geneva or the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The castle of Gruyeres pays tribute to Carl Bucher and presents the important creations which mark out his long career. With almost 60 works, the exhibition feeds on contrasts: between modernity of expression and an archaic simplicity of shape, between existentialist messages and visual poetry, between the primacy of terrestrial materials and high-tech translucence. At the heart of the presentation the "Circle of Hope" emerges in the interior courtyard. Homage to Holocaust victims, this monument brings together nine kneeling, aching, captive figures as suggested by the bandages surrounding their body. Whilst deprived of speech, movement and sight, the figures call out to us, communicating the force and renewal born from their solidarity. On the esplanade "Pegasus II" casts himself as a sign of life and freedom; the open relation to space, the dynamic and delicacy of movement create a three-dimensional graffiti. Endowed with a dense pictorial paste, mischievous and meditative by their subject, the paintings testify the diversity of experiments undertaken by the mixed media artist. Carl Bucher was born in Zürich in 1935. He grew up in a domestic environment heavily influenced by cultural discoveries. From 1960, whilst crossing the world as a guide, he took up self-taught art. Holder of a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1970, he established himself with his family in Canada as well as in Hollywood and in Santa Barbara (California). This first period concentrates on the theme of "Landings" which he presents through various media. His chronological exhibitions took place at Vancouver and Los Angeles, amongst other places, meeting a huge public success. Nevertheless, the Vietnam and Near East wars led Carl Bucher to question himself about the human condition, creating a change of artistic direction. In 1974, again in his home town, he installed workshops and visited Spain regularly. Over the years his leading creations and invention of figures, notably the "Petrified", emerge. Their sculptural beauty was so astounding that in 1998 the Swiss Confederation donated the "Seven Petrified" to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.