The Grand Chalet of Rossinière (Grand Chalet de Rossinière) is one of the oldest chalet

Chalet

A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...

s in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, dating to the 18th century. It is located in Rossinière

Rossinière

Rossinière is a municipality in the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut district of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Rossinière has an area, , of . Of this area, or 38.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 49.6% is forested...

 and classed as a historic monument. Claude Roy wrote of it:

History

In 1852 it was turned into a hotel, patronised by Englishmen, Americans, Russians and Australians, along with Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....

. The painter Balthus

Balthus

Balthasar Klossowski de Rola , best known as Balthus, was an esteemed but controversial Polish-French modern artist....

bought it in 1977 and welcomed several artists there until his death in 2001.

The Balthus Foundation

The chalet's grand salon now houses the Balthus Foundation and its many shows, concerts and exhibitions, such as:

• Bijoux et d’aquarelles d’Harumi - 22 February 2002
• La Jeunesse de Balthus -21 September to 16 November 2003
• Henri Cartier-Bresson et Martine Franck - 4 July to 3 October 2004
• Les Desseins de Balthus - 26 June to 30 October 2005
• La Magie du paysage - 2 July to 17 September 2006
• Le Mystère des Chats - 14 July to 16 September 2007
• Memorial Day - ceremonry for 100 years of Balthus - 29 February 2008

External links

Exhibition by Jean-Pierre Neff, carpenter at Rossinière - 2004. Official site of the Balthus Foundation