What do Voltaire, Jacques Necker, Joseph Bonaparte and Katharine McCormick have in common? They all lived or stayed at the Château de Prangins. The Gallery of Portraits, a new permanent exhibition at the Château de Prangins - Swiss National Museum, brings these voices from the past to life in the large corridor on the first floor, giving them substance in an interactive and immersive exhibition to be discovered from 16 June 2023.
Historically, in a château, the gallery served to link different wings and was a place of transition between different spaces. Often quite large, it became a de facto place to stretch one's legs or stroll around in bad weather. In addition, as an essential passageway, family portraits tended to be hung there for all to contemplate. These ancient functions have been respected but treated in a contemporary way. By summoning different characters from the past, the aim is also to recreate the spirit of the place, or the soul of the château, made up of all those who have lived there, written there, dreamed there, cried there, studied there and collected there.
In an interactive and engaging setting, the public can discover the stories and lives of the people who lived there: the contraceptive methods that passed through Europe before being sent to the United States at the instigation of biologist, philanthropist and feminist Katharine McCormick; the IOS debacle and the resounding trial of financier Bernie Cornfeld; or the role played by Necker, then Louis XVI's finance minister, on the opening day of the Estates General on 5 May 1789.
