The name of Lausanne’s most hip museum is a French acronym and stands for “the museum of design and contemporary applied arts”. It defines itself as a museum of transversal creation. A bridge between the arts that makes none more great or small, but decompartmentalizes them and renders their association with one another more porous. Contemporary plastic artists, designers and graphic artists are motivated and influenced by one another. It is these fruitful interactions and interweavings that the mudac is all about.
A transversal eclecticism
On the City’s hill, right next to the cathedral, the strong elegance of its clear silhouette can be seen from afar and offers a spectacular view of the old city. It represents one of the oldest examples – transformed several times over – of stone architecture in Lausanne. From the height of its roof to the depth of its vaults, the mudac presents its permanent collections. Here you can find the collection of the aesthete historian Jacques-Edouard Berger: a thousand far-reaching items, mainly from ancient Egypt and China. It also houses one of the largest contemporary collections of glass sculpture in Europe, assembled over the years by the generosity of a patron. The two middle floors are devoted to temporary exhibitions.
A laboratory for new trends
In the late 1960s, Pierre Pauli was the founder and first curator of Lausanne’s Museum of Decorative Arts. Upon his early death in 1970, Rosemarie Lippuner took his place. With her high standards and her impassioned commitment, she transformed a room in the basement at Villamont into a hotbed of applied creativity. With Chantal Prod'hom in command since 2000, its new City backdrop, its transdisciplinary mission and its role as a laboratory for new trends adds even more to its reputation.