LAUSANNE.- The Fondation de l'Hermitage hosts an exclusive exhibition dedicated to the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) art collection. The exhibition puts contemporary talent center stage and features over 100 pieces of 20th and 21st century art by artists with close ties to the Canton of Vaud. The BCV art collection comprises around 2000 pieces by artists who were born or work in Vaud and is the largest private collection of its kind in the Canton.

The collection is at once uniform and eclectic: all the artists have ties to the Canton but the collection encompasses different generations, styles and techniques - illustrating both the breadth and quality of the Vaud art scene. It includes several works by traditional Vaud painters as well as a large number of contemporary pieces by local artists that have been supported by BCV throughout their careers. Since its inception over forty years ago, the BCV collection has sought to shine a spotlight on new talent and has come to play an important part in the local art scene.

With pieces from 54 artists, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the major movements that have influenced the Vaud art scene over the past century. It begins with paintings from the first half of the 20th century, by artists such as Félix Vallotton, Alice Bailly, Rodolphe-Théophile Bosshard, and Louis Soutter, then progresses to the contemporary period, with a range of works that reflect the recent changes in our society. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the works of up-and coming artists slot neatly alongside those of internationally renowned artists such as Emmanuelle Antille, Philippe Decrauzat, Alain Huck, and Pietro Sarto.

From one room to the next, the connections between the works mirror the artists' relationships with one another as ideas collide, fuse and react to one another. While some groups of artists strike out to explore new territory, others draw their inspiration from past masters. Visitors will discover the geometric abstraction of Jean-Luc Manz and Pierre Keller and enjoy other highlights such as the photographic work of Annaïk Lou Pitteloud, Yann Gross, Bernard Voïta and Joël Tettamanti. Contrasting with the exhibition's oil paintings are the fiber art of Ignazio Bettua, the pencil-on-cardboard of Jean Crotti, the video art of AnneJulie Raccoursier, and the shattered glass of Didier Rittener. The work of these artists reflects the diversity of media that have been used to broaden the scope of the visual arts as we know them.