From 15 November 2024 to 2 November 2025, Musée Ariana’s major new exhibition Post tenebras lux will spotlight the museum’s stained glass collection, featuring 370 figurative pieces drawn mainly from Switzerland and neighbouring regions, covering a wide period from the Middle Ages to the present day. In partnership with Vitrocentre Romont (Fribourg) and the University of Geneva, this remarkable exhibition will reveal a selection of the museum’s exceptional heritage, including civil and religious pieces, in grisaille or polychrome, each with their own unique story.

A translucent composition obtained by assembling glass and lead, stained glass transforms the material and subjects depicted. Included in the architectural design of buildings, it diffuses a shimmering and colourful atmosphere. Until now, only a few pieces have ever been on display in Musée Ariana and the Musée d’art et d’histoire. Entitled Post tenebras lux, Light after darkness, the exhibition will showcase more than 200 little-known works, taken out of Geneva’s collections’ store for the occasion, which will dazzle visitors with their sparkling beauty in the gorgeous setting of the Ariana.

The project has made it possible to carry out an in-depth study of the City of Geneva’s stained-glass windows in addition to a number of restorations, which have helped enhance the inventory of the Ariana’s unique collection – now available online. The inventory will be accompanied in early 2025 by the publication of a bilingual exhibition catalogue (FR/DE). Published by Georg Editions and lavishly illustrated, the book will complement the museum tour with articles by leading experts providing new insights into the museum’s stained glass collection. Finally, the symposium Collectionner l’art de la lumière. Verre, connoisseurship et marché de l’art au XIXe siècle (Collecting the art of light: glass, connoisseurship, and the art market in the 19th century) will bring together researchers and enthusiasts on 7-8 March 2025, under the aegis of Vitrocentre Romont, the University of Geneva, and Musée Ariana.