Private guided tour of the Bodmer Foundation
Would you like to see the original texts by Martin Luther or Isaac Newton among a collection of 150,000 items?
Would you like to discover the world of antique books or deepen your knowledge?
As part of its series on discovering exceptional places, ASAGE is pleased to invite you to explore a collection of antique books listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site within an exhibition space designed by Mario Botta.
Thursday, May 11, 2017, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Program:
6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.: Welcome remarks by the foundation’s president
6:45 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.: Lecture on the topic by the foundation’s curator
7:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Private tour of the foundation
8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: A few additional optional highlights
A Few Words About Our Guests
Jacques BERCHTOLD, Director
- A graduate of Calvin College and the University of Geneva, he taught (1984–2000) French literature from the Renaissance through the 19th century at the Universities of Bern, Geneva, Yale, and Johns Hopkins before becoming a fellow at the Swiss Institute in Rome. As a professor of 18th-century French literature at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University—Paris 3 (2001–2008), he was appointed to a chair in the same discipline at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (2008–2014). He supervised and saw the successful completion of fourteen doctoral dissertations between 2009 and 2016; notably, he was a visiting professor at Harvard in 2011³; and he was admitted to the Exceptional Class of University Professors in 2012⁴. At Éditions Classiques Garnier, he is a co-founder (2009) and co-director of the “L’Europe des Lumières” series. He has headed the Martin Bodmer Foundation (Cologny, Geneva) since February 2014.
Nicolas DUCIMETIERE, Deputy Director and Curator
- With a master’s degree in history and a DEA in modern literature, Nicolas Ducimetière served as a curator at the Barbier-Mueller Museum from 2004 to 2013, presenting the highlights of this important poetry library to the public for the first time during the exhibitions *Mignonne, allons voir…* (Bodmer Foundation, then Château de Chantilly), accompanied by a book of the same name (Hazan, 2007). He has also been a member and secretary of the board of the Barbier-Mueller Foundation for the Study of Italian Renaissance Poetry (University of Geneva) since 2006. As the author or scholarly editor of several books and articles on French Renaissance poets (including *Poètes, princes & collectionneurs* [Droz, 2011]), he has also served as a curatorial advisor on several occasions, notably for the exhibition *Alexandria the Divine* (Bodmer Foundation, 2014). Awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2010, he has been deputy director of the Martin Bodmer Foundation since 2012.
Practical information:
- Museum Temperature: The temperature is maintained between 18 and 19 degrees to ensure the proper preservation of the documents on display. Please dress appropriately.
- If you are unable to attend after registering, you may have someone of your choice take your place.
- Participants interested in continuing the discussion are welcome to have dinner together at a restaurant near the foundation. Details will be provided on site.
Bodmer Foundation – Route Martin Bodmer 19-21 / 1223 Cologny (Geneva)
- Public transportation:
- From Rive, the trip to the Foundation takes just 10 minutes:
- Bus A, from Rive: “Cologny-temple” stop
- Bus 33, from Rive: “Croisée de Cologny” stop (5 min.)
- Parking:
- The Foundation’s parking lot (free, 15 spaces + bike racks)
- The Manoir parking lot (paid parking, 50 cents per hour)
- The Forge parking lot, in downtown Cologny (paid parking)
For more information, please contact the event team
- Jerome Clement +41 79 615 1173
- Frédéric Gross +41 79 372 4606
