Werner Bischof in Switzerland


To mark the centenary of the birth of Werner Bischof (1916–1954), the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne presents a comprehensive retrospective of the Swiss photographer's work. Titled 'Point of View', the exhibition was curated by Magnum Photos and spans his life's work with photographs from Switzerland (1934–1944), Europe (1945–1950), Asia (1951–1952) and finally North and South America (1953–1954).

The selection offers almost 200 original and in part unpublished prints from the Werner Bischof Archive in Zurich, along with contact sheets, books, magazines and private correspondence. The exhibition also includes projections produced especially for this occasion. 


The Swiss Years
A second exhibition will be presented at the same time, curated in-house by the Musée de l’Elysée. Titled 'Helvetica', the selection focuses on Bischof's Swiss years – his training, studio work and fashion and advertising photography – followed by the period of the second world war, when his work for DU magazine turned him into a photojournalist.


Accompanying Catalogue

The exhibition 'Helvetica' is accompanied by a catalogue of the same title, which is the first publication of the new 'Collection – Musée de l’Elysée'.


For further information visit Musée de l’Elysée; Werner Bischof