Born in Le Locle, Lermite spent most of his life in the Jura that inspired him deeply, as many paintings and drawings testify. On his death in 1977, a foundation was established to honour his memory and to make his work more widely known. The museum has housed the headquarters of the foundation since its inception.
Thanks to a donation, desired by Lermite himself during his lifetime, the museum possesses all of his graphic work. In 2001 the Lermite Foundation and the museum jointly acquired more than 200 works of the artist (large paintings, stained glass projects, drawings, lithographs and other graphic works).
The 10th and 25th anniversaries of the death of the artist have been marked by retrospective exhibitions jointly produced by the museum and the Lermite Foundation. In 2010, an exhibition was dedicated to the genesis of one of the masterpieces of the artist: the Brévinien Calvary, painted in 1949.
Supporting the Foundation
By becoming a Friend of the Foundation, you help to spread the influence of this major artist of Jura and to enhance our exhibition and publication activities.
For inquiries about the work of Lermite, please contact the museum, at mbal@ne.ch.
Lermite hors les murs
Lermite produced several works for specific sites that can be visited in the canton de Neuchâtel and in Biel. In order to facilitate the visit, the Lermite Foundation has produced a booklet that will guide the visitors. Ten of these commissions for public works have been chosen and are described in the booklet, you can download in French/German : here and in French/English : here.