Musée Rath

The Musée Rath is an art museum in Geneva. Since 1910, it presented exclusively exhibitions.

It is located at the Place Neuve ( New Square ), just in front of the old city walls and next to the Grand Theatre ( Geneva Opera ) and the Conservatoire de Musique ( Music Academy ).

It was built in 1824-1826 by the architect Samuel Vaucher. The General Simon Rath (1766-1819) had a large sum of his sisters Jeanne and Henriette Rath bequeathed " to create something useful for his country, which would bear his name ." The sisters council opted for a museum, and the Société des arts ( art society ) built this with your donation and the aid of the Geneva State. Samuel Vaucher has designed the building as a temple of the Muses, inspired by ancient Greek temples.

The Musée Rath was the first purpose-built art museum in Switzerland. In the beginning, the museum served both for permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, cultural meetings and art education. Beginning in 1880, the museum was too small for the collections. Since the inauguration of the Musée d' art et d' histoire (art history museum ) in 1910 is devoted to the temporary exhibitions, the Musée Rath.

Between 1916 and 1919, the museum was closed and the buildings for the International Central Prisoners of War Agency of the ICRC used.

Since 1851, the museum is owned by the City of Geneva. The building is a historical monument since 1921.

Swell

• Le Musée Rath, " temple of the muses ." In: Feuille d' Avis Officielle de la République et du Canton de Genève, the year 254, No. 92, August 11, 2006, pp. 1-1.
• Maurice Pianzola: Le Musée Rath a 150 ans. Musée d' art et d' histoire, Geneva 1976.