The reunion of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA), Photo Elysée and mudac, together with the Toms Pauli and Félix Vallotton foundations, forms a new 25,000 m² arts district in the heart of the city of Lausanne.
Plateforme 10 is home to the three cantonal museums of Vaud – Photo Elysée, mudac and MCBA – as well as the collections of the Toms Pauli and Félix Vallotton foundations. The esplanade of Plateforme 10 is a real Lausanne neighborhood, with three restaurants with terraces – Le Nabi, Arcadia Restaurant and Café Lumen – two bookstores and arcades.
Plateforme 10’s mission is to awaken the curiosity of all audiences by offering them a place to live, a space for discovery, exchange, learning, experimentation and wonder, as well as for leisure and contemplation.
A stone’s throw from the new mudac, MCBA was the first to open on the PLATEFORME 10 site, in 2019. The architecture is meant to promote the best possible connection between the visitor and the work of art. The choice was made not to vie with the art, but rather to highlight and enhance it through the design. Restaurant, book- and giftshop, auditorium, specialized library, studio for public outreach projects – these tools are meant to help one and all prolong their visit and promote connections and exchanges with others.
As far as the collection goes, MCBA has approximately 10,000 works and its reputation, both national and international, relies on five major collections: the Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe Ducros (1748-1810), Charles Gleyre (1806-1874), Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923), Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) and Louis Soutter (1871-1942) collections.
A cultural institution that is indispensable because of the high quality of its exhibitions, its publications and the archives it preserves and promotes, the Photo Elysée testifies to the diversity of photographic practices. One of the largest institutions dedicated to photography, the museum continues to assert itself as a centre of excellence in its five defining fields: exhibition, collection, publication, education and new technology.
Fondation Plateforme 10 is a foundation supported by the State of Vaud. Its main mission is to manage and foster three cantonal museums, MCBA, mudac, and Photo Elysée, while developing all of the functions, infrastructure, activities, and events that make up the Plateforme 10 site.
mudac – Lausanne’s Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts – is the only institution in Western Switzerland entirely dedicated to design.
To prepare your visit to the mudac, consult the practical information: opening hours, access and admissions.
The project by Portuguese architects Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus brings together two museums in a single building: mudac and Photo Elysée.
