Aurore Bagarry, Glacier du Tour, vue prise près du Refuge Albert 1er, 2012 © Aurore Bagarry / Courtoisie galerie Sit Down, Collection du Musée de l’Elysée

Where else but in Lausanne could an exhibition of mountain photographs could take place and be beautiful ? The Musée de l’Elysée, run with a firm and creative hand by Tatyana Franck, shows 300 prints selected from its collection of 4 000, on a very Swiss theme, mountains.

Roland Gay Couttet, Aiguille d’Argentière, escalade vers 1960-1970, ©Hubert Gay Couttet et Samuel Gay Couttet

Divided in four different sections, Scientific photography, Travel pictures, Mountaineering photos and Fine arts photos, the selection of pictures in black and white and color is very diverse and fun. From being “romantic” to becoming “God’s territory”, mountains have fascinated writers and artists in the 19 th century since Swiss scientist and writer Albrecht von Haller, (1708-1777) wrote “Die Alpen”, an epic poem. Jean Jacques Rousseau is fascinated by mountains and situates the love between Julie and St Preux in  “La Nouvelle Héloïse” on Lake Geneva.  Mountain tourism starts as early as 1841 while serious “alpinisme” or mountain climbing, emerges only in 1876. When photographer Auguste Rosalie Bisson used to climb Mont Blanc for Napoleon III who had commissioned him some pictures, he took with him 250 kgs of material.

John Jullien, Traversée de la Mer de Glace vers 1880, © Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne

Alpine photography was heroical. You can find contemporary works as well as 19 th century views, altogether  ninety six artists such as Peter Knapp and Balthasar Burckhard.

I remember discovering mountain photos in the book, “Photographier le Mont Blanc” published in 2002 by Sylviane de Decker  for Editions Guérin, in Chamonix. This is the true way to understand what an adventure it was, at the time. A pure marvel.

Charles Charnaux, Le Cervin,1910-1920, ©Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne

I have not had the time to travel to Lausanne yet, but my local spies tell me the show is fantastic and I thought you might want to hear about it before driving to Rougemont or Gstaadt…

“Photographier le Mont Blanc”, by Sylviane de Decker, Eiditions Guérin

“Sans limite”, Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne until April 30th.