The Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA) in Lausanne presents “Charles Blanc-Gatti. Les couleurs du son (The Colours of Sound)” until Sunday 17 January 2027. The exhibition shows how this Lausanne painter turned sounds into colours.
Who organises it
The MCBA organises the exhibition. It is curated by Catherine Lepdor, chief curator, assisted by Camille de Alencastro, research associate.
What to find
Charles Blanc-Gatti (1890-1966) was an amateur violinist and self-taught painter. He had synaesthesia. When he heard sounds, he saw colours and shapes.
The exhibition focuses on four moments of his career. In 1931, in Paris, he showed some fifty abstract works born from listening to classical music. In 1932, he founded the Association of Musicalist Artists with Henry Valensi, Gustave Bourgogne and Vito Stracquadaini.
He then created sets of coloured light synchronised with sound and studied fluorescent painting. His painting “L’Orchestre – 2e version (The Orchestra – 2nd Version)” (1932), acquired by the MCBA in 2026, sums up his method. In 1939, he made an experimental animated film, “Chromophonie”.
The exhibition also presents his landscapes of Lake Geneva and the Valais Alps, as well as his religious paintings. A free guided tour takes place on 14 January 2027. The catalogue (60 pages) costs CHF 10.
Practical information
- Dates, 25 Sept. 2026 to Sunday 17 Jan. 2027
- Opening hours, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday until 8 pm; closed on Mondays; 24 and 31 Dec. 10 am to 5 pm; closed on 25 Dec. and 1 Jan.
- Venue, MCBA, Plateforme 10, place de la Gare 16, 1003 Lausanne
Links
- Official site, MCBA, Charles Blanc-Gatti. Les couleurs du son (The Colours of Sound)
- All events across French-speaking Switzerland, Genève Infos Agenda
Sources
- MCBA, Charles Blanc-Gatti. Les couleurs du son (The Colours of Sound), accessed 13 November 2026
- MCBA, Practical information, accessed 13 November 2026
- Lausanne Tourisme, Blanc-Gatti. Le peintre des sons (The Painter of Sounds), accessed 13 November 2026
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