In 2025, the Art Colony is Turning 175!
An artist residence since 1850
The Gruyères Castle was put on the market in 1848 after the prefecture was moved to Bulle. The next year, a family of businessmen from Geneva, the brothers Jean-François, Antoine, and Daniel Bovy, purchased it by pooling their funds so they could afford their summer residence. In the spring of 1850, 175 years ago, the Bovy brothers moved in and started hosting their friends and family. With many artists among their social circles, they created Switzerland’s first-ever art colony. Meeting in Gruyères as soon as good weather started, the group worked under Antoine Bovy’s leadership to redesign the old fortress and create new decors, which visitors can marvel at to this day.
Until 1939, the former residence of the Counts was a place for artists and the community at large, both within the Bovy family and their circle of friends. They included Barthélémy Menn and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. This tradition of hosting live artists lives on at the Gruyères Castle: each year, visitors can discover a new facet of contemporary art.
Programme
Friday, February 28, 2025
Collection | A Small Corot Comes Home
A small picture by Corot becomes part of the permanent collection
Thanks to a generous donation from Jeanette and Rolf Chiarini (Esslingen, ZH), a small landscape representing cows by a pond, painted by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, is hung in the hall named after the artist.
Friday, April 4, 2025
Collection | The Colony’s Founders
The gilded portraits of the Colony’s founders are added to the collection, behind a glass window in the Medallions Hall. Acquired by the Gruyères Castle, the portraits represent Jean-Samuel Bovy and his wife Charlotte Élisabeth Bovy, née Choudens, parents of the three men who bought the former residence of the Counts. They were both made by John-Étienne Chaponnière and Antoine Bovy in 1830.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Event | First Soup at the Castle
On May 15, 1850, the Bovy family invited friends and family for a first soup at the Castle. 175 years later, Gruyères residents and the Friends of the Gruyères Castle (> lien vers page Amis) are invited to meet and relive this event by sampling soup while listening to music (invitation only).
July 5-October 12 2025
Exhibition | Jouer collectif!
For the summer, the Gruyères Castle is featuring the work of 10 collectives of Swiss artists throughout its halls. This invitation reflects the Gruyères Art Colony’s impressive collective work, evidenced by the decors now shown in the Castle.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Event | Pétanque parties
The Castle’s esplanade offers breathtaking views of the Gruyère valley. But the Bovy family also used it for sports, organizing pétanque parties. This Sunday is an opportunity to play a few rounds against friends and family. Friendly tournament and demo by enthusiasts.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Guided Tour | Jouer collectif!
At 2:30pm, curator Filipe Dos Santos will lead a guided tour of the exhibit (guided tour in french).
spaces are limited; registration required
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Lecture | Revival médiéval! Quand le 19e siècle s’entiche du Moyen Âge
Sabine Utz, chief curator at the Lausanne Museum of Archeology and History, will discuss the “Medieval Renaissance” in 19th-century French-speaking Switzerland (lecture in french).
spaces are limited; registration required
Images
With the support of
