Visual arts
Bernard Bavaud
If the Montreux quays look like a bronze pantheon, it is largely the work of one man: Bernard Bavaud. Born in Lausanne in 1946 and a graphic designer by training, he opened his studio at twenty-four before coming to sculpture around the age of thirty, by way of medal-making. On the Riviera he created the busts of several figures who left their mark on Montreux: the trumpeter Miles Davis and the composer Richard Strauss on the quays, a bust of Igor Stravinsky near the Auditorium, that of Wilhelm Furtwängler at the Port of Clarens, and a bust of Claude Nobs kept in his Clarens studio. He also portrayed Vladimir Nabokov, another famous resident of the town. A complete artist, he is in turn graphic designer, calligrapher, illustrator, medalist, engraver and teacher.
Bernard Bavaud, the sculptor of the quays
From medals to sculpture
Born in Lausanne in 1946, Bernard Bavaud trained as a graphic designer. He opened his studio at twenty-four and came to sculpture around the age of thirty, by way of medal-making.
A complete artist, he is in turn graphic designer, calligrapher, illustrator, medalist, engraver and teacher. His studio is in Clarens.
Miles Davis and Richard Strauss, face to face
His bust of Miles Davis, given in 1996 by the association of Friends of the Montreux Jazz Festival for the thirtieth edition, stands on the Quai de Vernex.
It faces that of Richard Strauss, by the same sculptor, unveiled in 2013 and given by the association of Friends of Richard Strauss. Along a few metres of quay, jazz and classical music look at each other, signed by the same hand.
Furtwängler, Nobs and the others
He also made the bust of Wilhelm Furtwängler, at the port of Clarens, and a bust of Claude Nobs kept in his studio.
He also portrayed Vladimir Nabokov, another famous resident of Montreux. If the town’s quays look like a bronze pantheon, it is largely his doing.
His bust of Igor Stravinsky, a sculpted portrait, stands inside the 2M2C: it should not be confused with the statue of the composer in front of the Auditorium, the work of the Russian sculptors Nikolai Kuznetsov and Natalie Plouromskoya.
Related places
▸Buste de Miles DavisBustOpen the place →
© Visit Montreux A tribute to the legendary trumpeter, a major figure of the Montreux Jazz Festival, by Montreux sculptor Bernard Bavaud.
▸Buste de Richard StraussBustOpen the place →
© mymontreux.ch The German composer, a faithful guest of Montreux, sculpted by Bernard Bavaud, facing the bust of Miles Davis.
▸Buste de Wilhelm FurtwänglerBustOpen the place →
© Visit Montreux The legendary German conductor spent his final years in Clarens. His bust watches over the Port du Basset.
▸2M2C, Montreux Music & Convention CentreConvention centre / concert hallsOpen the place →
© Visit Montreux The permanent building that hosts the Montreux Jazz Festival each summer, and the town’s cultural season the rest of the year: the Auditorium Stravinski and the neighbouring halls under one roof.
