Dedicated to ceramics and glass, the Musée Ariana is situated in a majestic 19th-century building within a 4-hectare park near the United Nations. In addition to its permanent collection, the museum regularly curates temporary exhibitions, frequently featuring the work of contemporary artists. Musee Ariana provides guided tours and organizes workshops for children.
The Tender Buttons exhibition offers a multidisciplinary exploration centered on buttons, delving into their identity and historical significance. Featuring over three hundred ceramic and glass buttons, the exhibition interacts with the museum’s works to highlight their role in both formal experimentation and socio-cultural narratives. The exhibition’s architecture evokes the commercial arcades of the 19th century, a pivotal era for button industrialization. Curated by Claire FitzGerald, the exhibition is supported by the Swiss Fashion Museum and showcases never-before-seen pieces from several prestigious collections.
Marie Ducaté presents Simultanés, an installation that transposes the spirit and traces of her studio into a theatre of objects. Combining ceramics, tracing paper, watercolor, textile and glass, the work sits at the intersection of pop culture and art history. The installation foregrounds a chromatic range from vivid colour to transparency and investigates the sensuality of materials, inviting close attention to texture, surface and the intimate relationships between form and materiality. Curated by Claire FitzGerald.
An extensive survey assembled from a long-standing research collection devoted to glass, this exhibition takes a contemporary look at a millennia-old material. Over two hundred glass and mixed-media works, including sculptural objects, design pieces and installations, testify to a transdisciplinary experimental spirit. Featuring artists such as Ettore Sottsass, Pierre Charpin, Betty Woodman, Bob Wilson, Giuseppe Penone, Jana Sterbak and James Lee Byars, the show examines materiality, technique and the porous boundaries between craft, design and contemporary art.
Create a face from a single button and watch it come alive. Explore colorful shapes and textures inspired by the exhibition Tender Buttons, then imagine and decorate your own character with paints, fabrics and funny features. Draw, stick, and mix materials while the illustrator guides simple drawing ideas. Hear soft brushes, see bright colors, and feel different materials as your character grows from a tiny idea into a playful friend.
In French. Kids ages 5–7.
The Tender Buttons exhibition offers a multidisciplinary exploration centered on buttons, delving into their identity and historical significance. Featuring over three hundred ceramic and glass buttons, the exhibition interacts with the museum’s works to highlight their role in both formal experimentation and socio-cultural narratives. The exhibition’s architecture evokes the commercial arcades of the 19th century, a pivotal era for button industrialization. Curated by Claire FitzGerald, the exhibition is supported by the Swiss Fashion Museum and showcases never-before-seen pieces from several prestigious collections.
Guided tour, in the presence of the exhibition curator. In French.
Dates & Timings:
Sunday 21 September 2025, 15:00
Sunday 16 November 2025, 15:00
Sunday 7 December 2025, 15:00
Sunday 18 January 2026, 15:00
Sunday 8 March 2026, 15:00
Sunday 3 May 2026, 15:00
Sunday 7 June 2026, 15:00
Sunday 4 October 2026, 15:00
Jump into a bright world of color and pattern inspired by Marie Ducaté. Explore playful vases, soft watercolours, mischievous animals and big, colorful textiles. Touch fabrics, see bold shapes and try simple brush strokes. Then paint your own piece of fabric, mixing colors and feeling the texture with your hands. The session sparks curiosity and creativity through color, touch and movement, inviting little artists to experiment and make something they can proudly show.
In French. Kids ages 2–4.
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