THE COLOURS OF ARCHITECTURE

“The Colours of Architecture. Hosting the Domaine de Boisbuchet” is an exhibition by Domaine de Boisbuchet in collaboration with the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur.

In “The Colours of Architecture”, which will be open to the public at the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur from September 12, 2025, to March 15, 2026, Domaine de Boisbuchet sets out its view of the broad spectrum of regional colouration, which is influenced by local rocks and pigments. The exhibition also shows the impact of international architectural concepts from the 1920s and 1930s by Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto, along with examples of the latest architecture and contemporary design. In addition, results from interdisciplinary summer workshops or residencies by international designers are presented.

The show, conceived by Mathias Schwartz-Clauss, Director of the Domaine de Boisbuchet, and Guillermo Gil Fernández, its General Coordinator/Head of Research, is dedicated to the multifaceted role of colour in the design of the built environment. It takes us from the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux to the global colour and lighting concepts of contemporary building culture. A searching gaze is turned on various topics, including traditional building culture and local materials in the French department of Charente and their influence on the characteristic colouring of the region’s buildings.

It sheds light on cultural and technical changes in crafts and industry, evolving design languages and trends, and the emergence of new building types and forms over the last hundred years. Many examples from the Boisbuchet region illustrate the surprisingly diverse colour palette of local architecture. In addition to works by contemporary designers, architects and artists such as designers Cécile Vignaud and Nathanaël Abeille, glass painters Philippe Riffaud and Françoise Théallier, artist Kevin Todd, architect Marie-Pierre Servantie and colour designer Barbara Schwärzler, the exhibition presents outstanding design icons from Alexander von Vegesack’s collection – Le Corbusier, Ray & Charles Eames, Gerrit Rietveld and others – as well as loans from regional institutions such as the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC); the Council for Architecture, Urban Planning and the Environment (CAUE) of Charente; the City of Royan; and the National School of Art and Design (ENSAD) Limoges.

Around 45 objects are accompanied by more than 90 photographs, some of them in large format, as well as publications from the archive of the Domaine de Boisbuchet.

WITH WORKS AND PROJECTS BY

Alvar Aalto, FI / Nathanaël Abeille, FR / Ateliers Vitrail Saint-Joseph, FR / Shigeru Ban, JP / Fernando & Humberto Campana, BR / Samael Covarrubias, MX / Ray & Charles Eames, US / Coop Himmelb(l)au, AT / Le Corbusier, CH/FR / Mathieu Matégot, HU/FR / Serge Mouille, FR / Pierre Marmouget and Édouard Pinet, FR /  Gerrit Rietveld, NL / Barbara Schwärzler, CH / Maurice Senusson, FR / Bruno Taut, DE / Kevin Todd, AU / Cécile Vignau (et al.), FR / students from the Lycée Champlain de Royan, FR / students from ENSAD Limoges, FR.

With numerous photographically documented projects by other renowned designers and architects.