A report by Ambassador Dominik Gehl
The Fondation de l'Hermitage is a very special place for all art lovers, but since November 2025 it has been unusually quiet. Our ambassador Dominik Gehl has documented this unique moment of change. He captured the empty rooms in photographs and spoke to those responsible on site about how to renovate a listed building without losing its soul. We are delighted to be able to share his exciting insights and exclusive images with our community here.
Text and photography: Dominik Gehl
Hermitage «on the road» - The 2026 program
Even if the doors in Lausanne are temporarily closed, the Foundation's art is still on the move. Here are the most important dates to experience the Fondation de l'Hermitage at other locations in 2026:
- For creative people: On April 8 engraving workshops with the artist Marie-Aurore Conscience will take place in the exhibition room of the CHUV (as part of Pâkomuzé)
- For women & art enthusiasts: On April 21 and May 21 the Maison de la femme in Lausanne invites you to the event „Women of the Hermitage Collection“. A presentation by director Sylvie Wuhrmann will be followed by a workshop with illustrator Fanny Vaucher.
Always up to date: All details on other outreach projects and the progress of construction work can be found regularly on the Website of the Fondation de l'Hermitage.
Fondation de l’Hermitage: A Museum Preparing for its Next Chapter
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.
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 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.
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."
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.
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.
Dominik Gehl
Dominik Gehl has been on the road as an ambassador for the Swiss Museum Pass since 2018, capturing Switzerland's diverse museum landscape from his own personal perspective. His eye for architecture and clear lines helps him to document the quiet aesthetics of empty spaces and the dynamics of transformations - as is currently the case at the Fondation de l'Hermitage. When he's not exploring museums, he shares his passion for photography and travel with a growing community on social media.
