Description of the attraction
The history of the creation of the museum begins in 1789. Then the Society of Arts was founded, which held regular exhibitions. They began an active exhibition activity in the city. Later, under the influence of the Great French Revolution, a new constitution of Geneva was adopted, which indicated the need to create a museum, the purpose of which was to contain all types of art for public education.
The Rath Museum was built in 1824. It housed the collection of the Society of Arts, including works by Jean Etienne Lyotard, Rodolphe Töpfer, and others, and also began holding temporary exhibitions of contemporary Geneva art. However, this was not enough, and in the 70s of the 19th century it was decided to create a larger museum. The new museum was supposed to include a collection of paintings, sculptures, archaeological finds, weapons supplies, and decorative items. At the beginning of the 20th century, construction began on a new building. The architect was Mark Camoletti. Construction was completed in 1910 and the museum was named the Museum of Art and History.
The Hall of Archeology presents objects of art related to European history, ancient Egypt, the culture of Sudan, the Middle East, ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, as well as the Numismatic Cabinet. The Applied Arts Hall displays collections of Byzantine art, icons, medieval and Renaissance weapons, musical instruments and textiles. The Fine Arts Hall offers a collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The museum houses numerous works of art by Ferdinand Hodler, Fel Vallotton and Camilla Corot.
