Fondation Pierre Gianadda
Art foundation in Martigny built around a Gallo-Roman temple, with a sculpture park and concert hall.
Leonard Gianadda, an engineer and publisher from Martigny, created the foundation in memory of his younger brother Pierre, who died in an aircraft accident in 1976. While preparing the site for a housing scheme, workers uncovered the remains of a Gallo-Roman temple of the first century, one of the oldest known in Switzerland. Gianadda abandoned the original plan and instead built a museum around the excavation, opening it in November 1978. The concrete and stone structure encloses the ruins, which remain visible at the centre of the main hall.
The foundation is known for large loan exhibitions of nineteenth and twentieth-century art, often assembled with major European museums, and for a permanent display of Gallo-Roman finds from the region. A vintage car museum occupies the lower level and the grounds hold a sculpture park with works by Rodin, Brancusi, Miro, Moore and Niki de Saint Phalle. A long-running concert series brings international soloists and chamber ensembles to the main hall. Leonard Gianadda died in December 2023 and the foundation continues under its own board.
Highlights
- Gallo-Roman temple remains preserved inside the main hall
- Sculpture park with works by Rodin, Miro, Moore and Brancusi
- Vintage car museum in the lower level of the building
- Concert series of international soloists and chamber ensembles
