Ethnographic Museum of Neuchâtel

About

The Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel (MEN) is a museum of ethnography in Neuchâtel, Switzerland established in 1904. The collections consist of 50,000 objects from all regions of the world, with about half from Africa. The MEN is well known for its museology of the rupture (muséololgie de la rupture), initiated by Jacques Hainard in the 1980s. This exhibition policy aims at questioning the objects' meaning and the museum's social role. Starting in 2015, major renovations were undertaken on the museum's buildings. The historical part was renovated first, followed by the temporary exhibitions building, ending in 2020. Since 2017 the reference exhibition is L'impermanence des choses, centered on the museum's collections.

The collections before the establishment of the museum

The collections' first objects came from Charles Daniel de Meuron's cabinet of natural history donated to the city in 1795. The cabinet included two hundred ethnographic pieces, originating in Oceania, Asia and Africa (by order of abundance). During the early 19th century, the collections were a mix of objects that would later form the basis for the museums of Natural History [ fr ], Arts and History and Ethnography. Throughout the century, the ethnographic collections grew in size and were moved around multiple times, often lacking sufficient space according to their curators.

In 1902, James-Ferdinand de Pury bequeathed his villa on Saint-Nicolas's hill to the city of Neuchâtel, under condition that it be turned into an ethnographic museum. The villa was renovated by Léo Châtelain [ fr ; de ] who had also been the villa's architect. Finally, the ethnographic museum was inaugurated on July 14, 1904.

Since 1904 the collections kept growing thanks, on the one hand, to the donations of numerous travelers, merchants, scholars, and missionaries from Neuchâtel, and on the other hand due to the acquisitions of targeted objects, in Neuchâtel, abroad, and during scientific expeditions. The museum also exhibits diplomatic gifts received by Switzerland. For example, a group of dolls wearing traditional costumes of multiple people from the Soviet Union.

The museum has gathered a significant collection of contemporary objects, mass made by industrial means. These objects are part of the museum's reflection on itself and what brings an object to be considered worthy of being in a museum.

Over the years two buildings were added to the Villa de Pury and completed the museum. First, the Black Box, built in 1954–1955 during the tenure of Jean Gabus [ fr ]. It hosts temporary exhibitions. Its facade is decorated with a massive 166.5 m 2 fresco, Les Conquêtes de l'homme, painted by Hans Erni. The fresco was completely restored in 1986. Also in 1986, a building for the Ethnology Institute of the University of Neuchâtel was built and links the Villa de Pury to the Black Box. The institute includes a library shared between the museum and the university. In 2004, the museum celebrated its centenary with numerous events.

Due to the lack of space, a competition for an extension was announced in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of the museum. Raphael Zuber and Helena Brobäck won first prize together with Conzett Bronzini Gartmann, but the project was not realized and another project was implemented at a later date. Christian Kerez was one of the members of the jury.

The Villa de Pury was renovated and its contents were reorganized from 2015 to 2017. Following this reorganization, the new reference exhibition, L'impermanence des choses opened its doors on November 26, 2017. The Black Box was also renovated, the collections that occupied the basement were moved to a deposit outside of the MEN freeing the space for exhibitions. During the year 2023, the stored collections (as well as those of the natural history museum, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire and of the botanical garden) will join a deposit in Serrières [ fr ], to the west of Neuchâtel.

The collections' first objects came from Charles Daniel de Meuron's cabinet of natural history donated to the city in 1795. The cabinet included two hundred ethnographic pieces, originating in Oceania, Asia and Africa (by order of abundance). During the early 19th century, the collections were a mix of objects that would later form the basis for the museums of Natural History [ fr ], Arts and History and Ethnography. Throughout the century, the ethnographic collections grew in size and were moved around multiple times, often lacking sufficient space according to their curators.

In 1902, James-Ferdinand de Pury bequeathed his villa on Saint-Nicolas's hill to the city of Neuchâtel, under condition that it be turned into an ethnographic museum. The villa was renovated by Léo Châtelain [ fr ; de ] who had also been the villa's architect. Finally, the ethnographic museum was inaugurated on July 14, 1904.

Since 1904 the collections kept growing thanks, on the one hand, to the donations of numerous travelers, merchants, scholars, and missionaries from Neuchâtel, and on the other hand due to the acquisitions of targeted objects, in Neuchâtel, abroad, and during scientific expeditions. The museum also exhibits diplomatic gifts received by Switzerland. For example, a group of dolls wearing traditional costumes of multiple people from the Soviet Union.

The museum has gathered a significant collection of contemporary objects, mass made by industrial means. These objects are part of the museum's reflection on itself and what brings an object to be considered worthy of being in a museum.

Over the years two buildings were added to the Villa de Pury and completed the museum. First, the Black Box, built in 1954–1955 during the tenure of Jean Gabus [ fr ]. It hosts temporary exhibitions. Its facade is decorated with a massive 166.5 m 2 fresco, Les Conquêtes de l'homme, painted by Hans Erni. The fresco was completely restored in 1986. Also in 1986, a building for the Ethnology Institute of the University of Neuchâtel was built and links the Villa de Pury to the Black Box. The institute includes a library shared between the museum and the university. In 2004, the museum celebrated its centenary with numerous events.

Due to the lack of space, a competition for an extension was announced in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of the museum. Raphael Zuber and Helena Brobäck won first prize together with Conzett Bronzini Gartmann, but the project was not realized and another project was implemented at a later date. Christian Kerez was one of the members of the jury.

The Villa de Pury was renovated and its contents were reorganized from 2015 to 2017. Following this reorganization, the new reference exhibition, L'impermanence des choses opened its doors on November 26, 2017. The Black Box was also renovated, the collections that occupied the basement were moved to a deposit outside of the MEN freeing the space for exhibitions. During the year 2023, the stored collections (as well as those of the natural history museum, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire and of the botanical garden) will join a deposit in Serrières [ fr ], to the west of Neuchâtel.

Since the 1980s, under the leadership of Jacques Hainard and his successors, the MEN has developed a " museology of rupture" ( muséologie de la rupture ), an original approach to exhibitions that contributed to its popularity. This exhibition policy questions the audience's perception of the objects, their roles and meaning inside the museum. The role of the museum as a social institution is also studied.

Since the addition of the Black Box in the 1950s, the museum has given diverging exhibition tenets to its two buildings. The villa hosts the reference exhibitions and is focused on the collections and museology subjects. The Black Box welcomes temporary exhibitions. These will develop a discourse that is supported by a mix of objects from the collections and new objects, bought specifically for the exhibition.

Reference exhibition: L'impermanence des choses

The museum's reference exhibitions have always had the collections at the center of their discourse. From 2007 to 2012, the Museum presented an exhibition entitled Retour d'Angola. It was looking back at the second Swiss scientific mission to Angola carried out between 1932 and 1933 and organized by the curator at the time, Théodore Delachaux. By studying its own history, the museum was able to pinpoint paradoxes in the practice of ethnology and museology.