Animated temple for culture and creativity
The Swiss engineer Léonard Gianadda founded Fondation Pierre Gianadda in memory of his late brother in 1978. He built the temple-like, concrete structure on a site in Martigny, in the southwest of Switzerland, on which he had originally intended to build an apartment block. During preparation work for the build, the team discovered a Gallo-Roman temple, and its preservation and display is now a central tenet of the foundation. The building brings together several elements: an archaeological museum and an automobile museum, a collection of paintings and space for temporary exhibitions and concerts. The Gallo-Roman Museum permanently displays ancient objects uncovered in the local area and the Automobile Museum houses around 50 vintage Swiss-made vehicles dating from 1897 to 1939. The foundation maintains an extensive sculpture park featuring around 50 works, including pieces by Auguste Rodin, Niki de Saint Phalle and Robert Indiana, and its celebrated exhibition program has highlighted Paul Klee, JMW Turner, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jean Dubuffet, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cezanne and Zao Wou-Ki, among others.
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