Nestled in the heart of Geneva’s Old Town, the Museum of Art and History ranks among Switzerland’s largest museums. Boasting a collection of around 650,000 objects spanning applied arts, fine arts, and archaeology across five floors, the museum embraces a dynamic and innovative approach to showcase its treasures through unexpected exhibitions. Annually, it hosts approximately ten temporary exhibitions, frequently inviting contemporary artists to contribute. The museum organizes a variety of surprising events, including yoga classes in the galleries and after-work parties.
Watch colors and music sweep across a building as images and sounds tell short tales about different kinds of intelligence. Bright shapes glow and shift, while music sometimes sparkles like fairy dust and sometimes beats with lively rhythms. Children will listen, point out details, and imagine stories inspired by the moving lights. The show mixes rhythm, color, and sound to spark curiosity and wonder.
Jean-Étienne Liotard’s portraits of the imperial family, notably Marie‑Antoinette, include eleven drawings widely regarded as masterpieces. This project examines the identification of the sitter children and the works’ provenance through a cross-disciplinary investigation. In collaboration with the University of Oxford, the Idiap research institute and the School of Criminal Sciences at the University of Lausanne, historians of art and specialists in the eighteenth century join AI researchers and forensic experts to reveal new insights into authorship and history.
These Pilates sessions draw inspiration from artworks to promote wellbeing through movement, breath and mindful presence. The practice explores how visual art can shape bodily awareness, combining gentle physical exercises with breathwork to improve posture, reduce tension and enhance concentration. Participants examine posture alignment, controlled movement and embodied attention, gaining practical strategies to integrate mindful movement into daily routines and foster a calmer, more attentive relationship with their body and surroundings.
In French.
This evolving exhibition explores Geneva painting from public collections, bringing together 82 works created between 1444 and 1782. Unfolding in three acts, the exhibition evolves alongside the museum’s ongoing research and restoration work.
Act I: Before 1535, Surviving the Storm – 26 September 2026 – 21 March 2027
Rare works that survived the Protestant iconoclasm of 1535, including Konrad Witz’s 1444 panels.
Act II: 1536–1685, The Secular Turn – 23 March – 19 September 2027
Following the Reformation, Geneva’s artistic landscape was transformed, with artists increasingly turning to secular subjects for both private and public settings.
Act III: 1685–1782, A Spectacular Flourishing – 25 September 2027 – March 2028
The Age of Enlightenment saw painting flourish in Geneva, with portraits and landscapes by artists including Robert Gardelle, Barthélemy Guillibaud and Jean-Étienne Liotard.
An ever-evolving journey through nearly three centuries of painting in Geneva, revealing its history, artistic techniques and the fascinating work behind its conservation.
Explore a showcase of 84 nominated timepieces and hands-on workshops. Join guided tours with watchmaking experts, listen to ticking mechanisms, and see delicate gears turn. Try beginner watchmaking skills like assembly and bevelling, or join youngsters’ sessions to make a colourful dial, practise engraving, or dismantle and rebuild a clock. Sessions mix sight, sound and fine touch to spark curiosity, creativity and careful observation in young makers.
Kids ages 4–12.
One museum, centuries of stories. Geneva’s largest museum brings archaeology, fine arts, and decorative arts under one roof, moving from ancient civilisations to major European and Swiss artists. A classic for a reason — and big enough to warrant more than one visit.
Your password has been reset successfully. You can now log in with your new password.
We’ve sent you a password reset email to the address provided. Please check your inbox and/or spam folder.
Please check your inbox for a verification email to complete your sign-up.
Culture, curated weekly.
Event removed from your CoolAgenda.
