Great place to enjoy painting exhibition! The gallery shows divers artists during the year, a great place to admire original paintings from great artists, also have a look at the old car exhibition underground.
I love the fact that it is small and one can even take in a major exhibition (such as the current Renoir) in under an hour. OK one can't do the whole museum (car museum, statues in the park, a whole building on Leonardo da Vinci, the roman artifacts, etc.) in any one visit, but the quality is extraordinary. Every exhibition shows paintings and sculptures that one can only see individually in far-flung museums and there are always many that are in private hands and thus never available outside a given exhibition.
The Renoir exhibit until November 23 was really incredible but who knew they also had dozens of old cars on display in the basement. Plus Roman ruins - just great and well worth the visit from Geneva.
I spend a nice afternoon in this lovely museum a brilliant nice collection of art worth visiting. And just down the road the nicest restaurant is waiting for you in the old town
Many areas of the museum were closed as it was a slow time of year for them. We only got to do the outside exhibits, but they only charged us a minimum . We missed the Renoir exhibit by a few days, but saw a few beautiful pieces as they were packing up.
Renoir is a great painter. But I have to say I was a little disappointed by it. I am definitely artsy but not an art expert and I have to say I didn't really like the exposition as much. I wish I came another time.
The Fondation Pierre Gianadda is well worth a visit if you're ever in Martigny. Housed in a rather strange modern concrete building, on the inside it's spacious and light - good for exhibitions. We saw Renoir there. Pah - but that's personal taste for you. Though better than the temporary exhibition is the car museum which is part of the museum - wow. A great selection of some absolute classics. Spent much longer in here. Outside are some pleasant gardens filled with modern art - and this always hit and miss. Some good, some not so, but a nice enough space to enjoy the day.
Fondation Gianadda is the second most visited museum in Switzerland (after the Basel Art Museum), offers splendid temporary exhibitions, presents the most valuable pieces of Roman Antique discovered in Martigny, a wonderful collection of ancient cars (mostly Swiss production!) and the Foudation's gardens hosts a marvelous collection of moderne sculpture. Its acoustic is also excellent and the concerts of classical music are just great!
Fondation Pierre Gianadda is a small but perfectly formed art gallery, which has hosted some excellent exhibitions over the years. Its sculpture garden is particularly splendid, nestled beneath the mountains and surrounded by trees. There is a permanent range of pieces from great sculptors like Niki de St. Phalle. The outside cafe is a welcome feature on a sunny day.Our visit here was marred, however, by the officious attitude of the staff, who seem to think that taking a sip from a bottle of water several metres from the work, or wearing a small rucksack, constitute a real danger to the paintings. I was even severely reprimanded for going through the wrong door to the garden! I understand the need for rules, but would argue that a.) the work was physically unprotected, so anyone with criminal intent could inflict damage in an instant and b.) every single member of staff, even the lady in the gift shop, was unnecessarily rude. Provide a cloakroom for bags and learn to address paying customers with a smile please!
I have visited this gallery three times for different exhibitions and have always enjoyed it immensely. The exhibitions are outstanding, the Roman artifacts are beautifully laid out, and the sculpture garden is worth seeing again and again. There is plenty of parking and a nice, friendly tea garden. It is well worth keeping an eye on what exhibitions are showing, you will not be disappointed.