Collection des estampes de l’État de Vaud

 

Since its creation in 1979, the State of Vaud’s print collection has aimed to trace the history of Western artistic printmaking from the Renaissance to the present day, while also documenting print production in Vaud during the 20th and 21st centuries. The core of the collection consists of acquisitions made at the Musée de l’Élysée before 1983, as well as the majority of the 20th-century print holdings from the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne. Since its deposit at the Musée Jenisch Vevey in 1986, the collection has followed an active acquisition policy and has opened up to contemporary international production to fill gaps in the history of printmaking. A partnership agreement established in 2016 provides a framework for the collection and its development, complementing the other holdings of the Cantonal Cabinet of Prints.

 

With over 12,000 prints, the collection offers an overview of the history of printmaking techniques, from the old masters to contemporary printmakers. The collection is enriched through purchases, donations, and bequests, strengthening its areas of excellence. Among the old masters are works by the German Hans Sebald Beham, the Dutch Hendrick Goltzius, the Italian Benedetto Castiglione, and the French printmaker Jacques Callot. The collection also preserves numerous plates from the 19th-century French school (Charles Daubigny, Rodolphe Bresdin, Eugène Carrière), the Nabis (Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard), and major painter-printmakers of the 20th century (Pablo Picasso, Jacques Villon, Bram van Velde, Roy Lichtenstein). 

 

Swiss Romandy printmaking of the 20th and 21st centuries occupies a significant portion of the collection, featuring artists such as René Auberjonois and Claudia Comte, as well as Pierre-Eugène Vibert, Albert-Edgar Yersin, Francine Simonin, and Claire Nicole. In the contemporary field, Swiss print publishers are particularly well represented (Xylon, SGG, VFO, Raynald Métraux, Fanal), and the collection continues to expand through monitoring of local and international art actors, including artists, galleries, and auction houses.