LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND.-After the treasures of museums in Barcelona (1986), Li鑗e (1988), Grenoble (1992) and Athens (2004), the Fondation de l’Hermitage is privileged to present more than 130 works from the collection of the Mus閑 Fabre in Montpellier through June 5, 2006. Offering a remarkable panorama of European painting from the 17th to the 19th centuries, the exhibition highlights the wealth of the French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch schools by exploring all the significant artistic movements right up to Impressionism.

The Mus閑 Fabre, considered as one of the foremost public French collections, is a reflection of the city’s lively intellectual and artistic life ever since the 18th century. Established during the Empire period, the museum was given decisive impetus by artist Fran鏾is-Xavier Fabre (1766-1837), who studied under David in Florence and donated his large collection of European art to his hometown in 1825. The Mus閑 Fabre continued to enhance its collections over the decades thanks to several major patrons and a dynamic acquisitions policy. In order to display its cultural heritage to its best advantage, the institution has embarked on an ambitious project since 2003 to extend and reorganise its exhibition areas. The Fondation de l’Hermitage is taking advantage of this transformation period to share the exceptional quality of the collection with the public in Lausanne.

The show opens with an ensemble of works by great 17th-century masters and represents the diversity of European schools of painting. After the suggestive mysticism of Zurbar鄋’s ecstatic figures (L’ange Gabriel, Sainte Agathe) and the psychological keenness of Bourdon’s refined portraits (L’homme aux rubans noirs), we discover the whimsical spirit and ardour of Flemish painting (Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Rubens), as well as the mannered, intimist genre scenes of the Dutch Golden Age (Steen, Metsu, Ter Borch).

The exhibition then leads on to 18th-century French artists whose majestic style, at its height between the Regency period and the Revolution, can be admired in Houdon’s elegant marble sculptures and Ranc’s voluptuously draped figures (Vertumne et Pomone).

The 19th century is another highlight of the exhibition thanks particularly to the patronage of Alfred Bruyas (1821-1877), an enthusiastic collector under whose guidance the Museum moved into the modern era. Thus Delacroix, the leading Romantic painter, expresses all the magic of light and colour in his sumptuous paintings of oriental inspiration (Exercices militaires des Marocains).

With his masterpiece Bord de mer � Palavas, Courbet - whose works are well represented within the collection - vigourously marks the emergence of a new, independent way of painting. Following on after a significant selection of landscapes from the Barbizon school (Corot, Rousseau), Impressionism comes to the fore with Monet, Degas and above all Bazille, a ‘Montpelli閞ain’ by birth. Considered as one of the forerunners of this new aesthetic movement, he devoted as much time to exploring painting flowers and landscape (La vue de village) as he did to portraits in a bright, uncluttered style.

The finishing touch of the presentation is a rich ensemble of drawings from the Mus閑 Fabre’s collection which is one of the most prestigious in France. From La Hyre to Puvis de Chavannes, to Fragonard, Boucher and G閞icault, this fine selection illustrates drawing at its most accomplished.

The exhibition carries a major catalogue, published jointly with 5 Continents Editions, with colour reproductions of all the works exhibited. The exhibition and its catalogue have been generously supported by Credit Suisse, the Fondation Harafi and the Fondation Leenaards.