Alice Pauli. Gallerist, Collector, Art Patron

Alice Pauli (Moutier, 1922 - Lausanne, 2022) made the State of Vaud her sole beneficiary with the MCBA as her ultimate legatee. With the show, the museum is keen to invite people of all ages and walks of life to discover this new chapter of our Canton’s cultural heritage whilst retracing the singular career of this well-known figure from Lausanne.

Through some ten sections, the show provides the contextual keys to the professional ans personal trajectory of a woman who was indeed ahead of her time. Alongside pieces that are now a part of the MCBA permanent collection, works on loan from museums, foundations, and private collections bear witness to the commitment of this gallery owner and collector to the artists she has championed and often brought to the public’s attention. Large-format textiles by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Jagoda Buić and Jean Lurçat pay tribute to Alice Pauli, who, along with her husband Pierre, helped launch the Biennale internationale de la tapisserie (International Tapestry Biennial of Lausanne). There are also works by key figures in international contemporary art, including Louise Nevelson, Giuseppe Penone, Pierre Soulages and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva. Alice Pauli’s many connections with the Swiss art scene are likewise illustrated thanks to the display of works by Louis Soutter, Jean Lecoultre, and Juan Martínez. And two galleries, one devoted to the Polish and Yugoslav art scenes in the 1960s and the other to the work of Alicia Penalba, underscore the talent of a true forerunner, a woman driven by the desire to share with people everywhere both her passion for art and the emotions it sparked within her.