The collections of the Association des Mus\u00e9es en Gruy\u00e8re<\/i><\/em>\u00a0are an art lover\u2019s dream. The rather unconventional settings in which some of these works are displayed, whether in the intimate confines of a chapel or in the heart of an imposing castle, serve only to magnify their beauty. The sinuous curves of a stained glass window at the Vitronmus\u00e9e<\/i><\/em>\u00a0in Romont, the remarkable talent of local artists showcased at the Mus\u00e9e de Charmey<\/i><\/em>, Buddhist art at the Tibet Museum, or Hans Ruedi Giger\u2019s unsettling and breathtaking biomechanical figures\u2026\u00a0La Gruy\u00e8re is a microcosm of the eclectic world of art.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1589987677662{margin-top: -30px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Vitromus\u00e9e Romont<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a window on glass art<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The works in the museum\u2019s collection are as diverse as they are poetic, and document the evolution of stained glass art during the 19th century.<\/p><\/div>\n In the south of the canton of Fribourg, art finds expression in the half light of day which is delicately captured in the stained glass of the Vitromus\u00e9e Romont<\/i><\/em>. Tiny rods of skilfully moulded lead lock in the luminescent rays in works which are unspoiled by the passage of time. Glass art offers us a window into the far and near reaches of history, tempting us to lean over the guardrails to bathe our faces in the gleaming light of the past, and the present. Resettled from their original religious and secular homes, the works in the museum collection keep alive the memory of the countless sunrises that have added to their aesthetic charm.<\/p>\n In addition to many examples of stained glass ranging from 5th<\/sup>\u00a0century archaeological fragments to contemporary works, the Vitromus\u00e9e Romont<\/i><\/em>\u00a0is home to one of the largest collections of reverse paintings on glass. The 300 or so works on public display take visitors on a journey through time, conjuring up images of the drawing rooms of emperors and generations of wealthy \u00a0\u00a0connoisseurs of this exquisite art form. Glass is a fragile and noble substance which requires a deft and experienced hand to tame its capricious nature, but whose brilliance is instantly evident.<\/p>\n HR Giger Museum \u2013 Where poetry and science fiction meet<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n Born in Chur in 1940, the painter, sculptor and designer Hans Ruedi Giger is considered a master of fantastic realism. His unmistakeable style straddles the world of poetry and science fiction. His works exist in a parallel universe where the darkest recesses of the human psyche come to life in the form of hybrid creatures of exquisite but deeply disturbing beauty. The sepulchral lighting of the museum accentuates the repulsive, disconcertingly attractive contours of our deepest fears made flesh.<\/p>\n HR Giger adroitly appropriates an unsettling aesthetic that blurs the boundaries between nightmare and fantasy and unites them in a macabre and beguiling dance. Fraught with tension and ridden with the organic violence that lies dormant in the human mind, Giger\u2019s works plunge the viewer into an unnerving yet strangely familiar universe.<\/p>\n The HR Giger Museum, which opened in 1998 in the heart of medieval Gruy\u00e8res, is home to the largest collection of the artist\u2019s work, including airbrush paintings, sculptures, furniture and a plethora of other decorative objects. Together, they document how the output of this singular artist evolved over time. One of the main attractions are his iconic creations that feature heavily in Ridley Scott\u2019s cult classic Alien<\/i><\/em>. The otherworldly experience continues in the bar next door. It is the last major work completed by the artist before his death and is an integral part of the exhibition. Here, visitors are drawn ever deeper into Giger\u2019s extraterrestrial, stygian universe. It is the stuff of deliciously dark nightmares.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/musees-en-gruyere.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture4-1.png\")