Nick Oberthaler: Voyages en zigzag – La collection de Philippe Bodenmann Group show at the Musée des beaux-arts La Chaux-de-Fonds

Philippe Bodenmann studied engraving at the La Chaux-de-Fonds art school. He began collecting works by artists from Switzerland and elsewhere in the 1980s. The resulting collection reflects as much his own artistic gaze as his life journey.

He produced a number of his own paintings early in his career, exhibiting at two contemporary art biennials here at the museum. These early creative ventures gave rise to exacting expectations and a keen interest in geometric abstraction. In 2025, Philippe Bodenmann decided to entrust his entire collection to the museum – a gift reflective of his high esteem for the institution and many years of intellectual exchange and friendship.