Fondation de l'Hermitage
Built between 1851 and 1853 for banker Charles-Juste Bugnion, the Hermitage mansion became an art museum in 1984, following the family's bequest of the estate to the City of Lausanne. For over forty years, the Fondation de l’Hermitage has hosted world-renowned temporary exhibitions. To ensure the continuity of this cultural mission, the institution is now embarking on a major renovation.
Hermitage
Entrance pavilion and bookstore
Ferme
staircase
corridor
exhibitions went up to right under the roof
exhibition space in the basement
While the museum has been closed to the public since November 10, 2025, the Foundation’s activities have not stopped. For 2026, the institution has announced an outreach program that will allow its works to reach new audiences throughout the renovation period.
The Hermitage on the Road in Spring 2026
The year 2026 will be marked by several local collaborations. On April 8, as part of Pâkomuzé, engraving workshops will be held at the CHUV exhibition space with artist Marie-Aurore Conscience. On April 21 and May 21, members of Pro Senectute are invited to the "Women of the Hermitage Collection" event at the Maison de la femme in Lausanne. This event will feature a presentation by Sylvie Wuhrmann, followed by a creative workshop led by author and illustrator Fanny Vaucher.
This program paves the way for a new cultural mediation space within the museum, which will open upon its return in 2027. To discuss the goals of this large-scale project, we met with Sylvie Wuhrmann and Aurélie Couvreur—the Foundation’s Director and Curator, respectively—amidst move-out preparations, just days after the closing of the final exhibition, "A Dream of Poland."
A Dream of Poland
A Building Paused for 18 Months
"There’s still plenty of work to do!" Sylvie Wuhrmann says with a laugh. It’s easy to see why: for the first time since 1984, the house must be completely emptied. Behind closed shutters, the building "needs to be brought up to global standards: energy efficiency, preventive conservation, and safety." The complexity lies in the building's very nature. "The primary concern for the architects is to respect its heritage," the Director explains. It is a matter of adapting a home originally designed for family life to the requirements of a museum, all while preserving its soul.
Salon bleu
The 18-month project focuses on three major objectives:
Energy Efficiency: Repairing the roof, façade, and waterproofing to meet modern standards.
Technical Discretion: Moving away from noisy, manual air conditioners and humidifiers. The future system will be centralized, more efficient, and—crucially—invisible, restoring the rooms' original character.
Visitor Experience: Rethinking the visitor path, improving flow, and modernizing the elevator.
A Shared Dynamic
The Hermitage is not the only Swiss museum undergoing such work. Institutions like Museum Langmatt in Baden and Villa Flora in Winterthur have followed similar paths.
"We talk to each other," confirms Aurélie Couvreur. "In Winterthur, our colleagues shared their choices and challenges. We conducted several technical visits to understand their approach and the technologies they chose. It’s interesting to see how the space lives once renovated."
Museum Langmatt
Museum Langmatt
Museum Langmatt
Villa Flora
Villa Flora
Rethinking the Archives
For Aurélie Couvreur, the work represents a rare logistical opportunity: "It’s a chance to rethink our storage. We’re playing a giant game of Tetris to increase storage density and return to a more functional house." Nearly 800 artworks are being moved to temporary storage for the duration of the project.
archive
Looking Ahead to Autumn 2027
The reopening is scheduled for Autumn 2027 with a modified visitor path. Certain rooms on the ground and first floors, previously private, will be opened to the public.
As for the exhibition that will mark this new chapter, the team is keeping it under wraps. "We are finalizing things for the reopening. But it’s not quite finished yet... it will be a surprise," concludes Aurélie Couvreur.
