Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Art museum in Lausanne, Switzerland
The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts occupies a new building at Plateforme 10, next to Lausanne's train station, inaugurated in October 2019. Its two upper floors hold about 300 works from a collection of over 10,000: one wing for the permanent hang (1,700 m2), the other for temporary exhibitions (1,300 m2). Rooms have ceilings of 4.5 and 5.5 metres, lit from above and from the side.
The museum was founded in 1841 on the initiative of painter Marc-Louis Arlaud, who commissioned architect Louis Wenger to build it on Place de la Riponne. It was housed in the Palais de Rumine from 1906 until 2019, when it moved to Plateforme 10, in the former CFF locomotive hall near Lausanne station. The new building was designed by Barcelona architects Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga.
The permanent hang follows the motto "Voir ici ce qu'on ne voit pas ailleurs!", pairing Vaud and Swiss-Romande artists with international currents. Five monographic holdings anchor it: Ducros, Gleyre, Steinlen, Vallotton and Soutter. The building also houses the Toms Pauli Foundation collection and the Félix Vallotton Foundation archives.
The museum occupies the former CFF locomotive hall by Lausanne station, sharing the Plateforme 10 site with Photo Elysée and the Mudac. The permanent hang on the upper floors is split between a 1,700 m² wing and a 1,300 m² temporary-exhibition wing, with ceilings of 4.5 and 5.5 m and both zenithal and lateral lighting. The Espace Projet on the ground floor shows short-run experimental programming.
The building features deep vertical fins and modular structures designed to control natural light and protect sensitive artworks from damage. This architectural design creates shifting visual effects that change throughout the day with the sun's movement.
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