Grand Chalet

'' photograph is considered an absolute rarity. Although the small municipality of Rossinière was ravaged by fire three times – in 1600, 1776 and 1855 – it boasts a remarkable cultural and architectural heritage. In addition to the Grand Chalet, these include the town hall, built in 1635, and the Maison de la Place built in 1664. Because of the risk of fire, the burnt down houses were increasingly built of stone when they were rebuilt. In Rossinière, the most beautiful residences were built by skilled and mostly local craftsmen for wealthy people who held important social positions within the community. The local authorities of Rossinière and the authorities of the Canton of Vaud had long recognised that the Grand Chalet was an exceptional and unique building. If it were built of stone, it would be called a castle. The responsible cantonal archaeologist, Louis Bosset, stated laconically when classifying the Grand Chalet as a cantonal monument in 1946: ==Architectural uniqueness==

The Grand Chalet is one of the oldest and grandest chalets ever built in Switzerland, dating to the mid-18th century. The house was originally built for the local governor and curial (court clerk) during the time of the Bernese rule, Jean-David Henchoz (1712–1758), who was also a solicitor and farmer as well as a cheese and timber entrepreneur. In short: He was the most powerful man in the entire area. Accordingly, size mattered to him. Jean-David Henchoz played a key role in the design of the Grand Chalet. Some sources of information even list him as the architect. This was not uncommon at the time. Typically, the owner and the master carpenter were jointly responsible for the chalet plans. The Grand Chalet has inspired various writers and poets throughout the centuries, giving rise to poems, stories and legends about this unique mountain house, which has always been a haven for artists. ==Overview of architectural features==

from 4 November to 12 December 1754. Due to its size and slope, the Grand Chalet required a roof made of nailed shingles. At that time, it was common practice to weight the shingles down with stones, as these handmade iron nails were expensive. However, money was no issue in the construction of the Grand Chalet. The Grand Chalet was built between 1752 and 1756. The masonry base is the work of Gabriel Massard. He and his workers built a special open-air lime kiln, specifically for the production of lime and gypsum for the masonry of the Grand Chalet. The wooden structure is the work of the master carpenter Joseph Genayne (also Geneyne or Geneine) of Château-d'Œx and his carpenters. Joseph Genayne evidently had a profound knowledge of structural engineering. The numerous partition walls stabilise the building and prevent the exterior walls from sagging. The friezes and painted decorations are by Jean Raynaud and his wife Marie Perronet of Château-d'Œx. It took 43 days to complete the painted decorations, including verses, inscriptions, coats of arms and frescoes depicting flowers and symbolic animals. But early on, there were voices that argued the Grand Chalet was too big. In 1848, the building tax assessors wrote in their report on the Grand Chalet: "It is a building of gigantic size, with numerous rooms, many of which, however, are unheated. The roof is expensive to maintain. The rental value and the selling price are highly illusory, since there is no possibility of renting out a similar building. It follows from all this that the market value bears no relation to the income, since one could achieve more with less money." Cheese-making history . The Grand Chalet was originally designed not only as a residential building for two families, but also as a regional cheese warehouse and trading center, reflecting the economic significance of dairy production in the area. This also explains the extraordinary size of the house, especially the cellar, where up to 600 cheese wheels could be stored, mainly coming from the L'Étivaz valley. And this also explains why Jean-David Henchoz was called the Cheese Baron. However, Jean-David Henchoz was only able to enjoy his mansion for two years before succumbing to an illness in 1758 at the age of 46. With him, his project of building a major regional cheese center also died. The other cheesemongers settled elsewhere in the Gruyère District. His widow Marie-Madeleine Henchoz, née Pilet, and his brother Abram were unable to continue his work. Their business remained comparatively modest. ==Conversion into a hotel==

In 1852, the Grand Chalet was turned into a hotel by Rodolphe Henchoz de Loës, a great-grandson of Jean-David Henchoz. At that time, the Grand Chalet was inhabited by only one member of the family Henchoz. Most likely it was the pastor Charles Scholl. Charles Scholl was a grandson of Gabriel Henchoz, who was the second brother of Jean-David Henchoz. It was during the course of the conversion into a hotel that Rodolphe Henchoz de Loës renamed the house, previously known as Grande Maison, first to Pension Henchoz and then to Hôtel-Pension du Grand Chalet. Rodolphe Henchoz de Loës recognised the signs of the times. He wanted to take advantage of the potential of Switzerland's natural beauty, as already praised by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on his travels there in 1775, 1779 and 1797. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's widely read reports made Switzerland appear as a real place of longing. In addition, with the development of the railway and steam shipping, the travel activity of the European upper class had increased rapidly. With the Grand Chalet, Rodolphe Henchoz de Loës also had an ideal house, which, due to its size, was ideally suited to being converted into a hotel. The Hôtel-Pension du Grand Chalet was one of the first hotels in the area. Renovation and early operation in 1899. To improve the Grand Chalet's use as a hotel, significant changes were made. These included the construction of a gallery on the south side (a large balcony running the length of the façade), the removal of two large open fireplaces in the kitchens and the conversion of the basement rooms on the ground floor (the cheese cellars) into a dining room with large windows and French doors. Some of these changes were later reversed during further renovations. At this time, the painted decorations on the façade were also restored for the first time. The Grand Chalet then came into the possession of the family Haldi. The hotelier's widow, in particular, was considered a business-minded person. It was probably she who changed the name of the hotel from Hôtel-Pension du Grand Chalet to the shorter name and English spelling Hotel Grand Chalet. The widow M. Haldi ran the hotel from the beginning of the 20th century until her death in 1941. Then, the municipality took over the management of the hotel. The first hotel guest after World War II was a certain M. Ware. Instead of checking out after his stay, he bought the Grand Chalet straight away. However, his business success as a hotelier was limited. Antoine Devenish and his business partner shared the workload, with Miss Scott primarily responsible for the food. The kitchen was her domain, for which she was widely known and appreciated. The most striking architectural change during the Devenish & Scott era at the Grand Chalet are the dormer windows installed in 1953. Furthermore, a new kitchen, an oil heating and running water in the hotel rooms were installed. Part of the roof was also replaced. The Hotel Grand Chalet has always had many regular guests. In addition to primarily British and American guests, there were also Swiss guests, particularly from Basel, who enjoyed practicing their English with the other Anglo-Saxon guests, as English was the unofficial language at the Grand Chalet. In the afternoon, many people were having tea on the gallery or the veranda below, or in the parlor. And everyone was chatting in English. The Grand Chalet as the Swiss chalet archetype . The postcard is postmarked 20 July 1914, eight days before the outbreak of World War I. During the war, British internees were housed in the Grand Chalet. The most famous connection of the name Swiss cottage in the United Kingdom, however, is with the district Swiss Cottage in the London Borough of Camden. The district is named after an inn that was first called The Swiss Tavern, built in 1804 in the style of a Swiss chalet on the site of a former toll-keeper's house. It was later renamed The Swiss Inn and, in the early 20th century, The Swiss Cottage. Royal visit of 1868 In the second half of the 19th century, it was none other than Queen Victoria herself who was responsible for the great boom in British tourism in the Swiss Alps. It was the queen who drew the attention of the British upper class to the Swiss mountains with her visit to Switzerland in 1868. This was the first visit to Switzerland by a reigning British monarch. The five-week stay left its mark not only on Queen Victoria, but also on the Swiss tourism industry. The Bernese Oberland, especially Gstaad and the surrounding villages, including Rossinière, also benefited from this boom. Balthus comes for tea at the Grand Chalet in 2000, portrait photograph by Oliver Mark. In 1976, another sophisticated figure came to the Hotel Grand Chalet: Balthasar, Comte Klossowski de Rola, called Balthus, the world-renowned painter. At that time, he and his wife Setsuko, Comtesse Klossowska de Rola, were visiting friends in Gstaad who suggested having tea at the Hotel Grand Chalet. It was love at first sight. The house so fascinated Balthus that the French-Polish artist immediately considered purchasing the Grand Chalet, which was up for sale at the time. His wife Setsuko agreed and added: "I would like to live here." Setsuko vividly remembered this moment and said: "When Balthus said that he was interested in buying the Grand Chalet, the owner, Antoine Devenish, almost fainted. He couldn't believe that someone was finally genuinely interested." The hotelier tried unsuccessfully to sell the Grand Chalet since 1971. Before Balthus came along, many potential buyers were put off by the sheer size of the wooden structure and the associated renovation and maintenance costs. But not Balthus. On the contrary. He felt that he had arrived. Two days after Balthus's first visit to the Grand Chalet, the purchase was negotiated and agreed upon. Ultimately, at the end of his life, Balthus will never have lived in one place longer than in the Grand Chalet. Two of the greats had found each other: A great artist was looking for a new home and a great house was looking for a new owner. It was the great artist who would ultimately restore the great house to its former glory. Thus began the grand era of the Grand Chalet. ==The Balthus era==

, in front of the Grand Chalet in 2018 (south side), wearing a traditional kimono. "All the wood reminded me of a traditional Japanese house", Setusko's first impression when she saw the Grand Chalet in 1976. Although Balthus and his wife Setsuko had already purchased the Castello di Montecalvello between Florence and Rome by this time, they moved to Switzerland on the advice of Balthus's doctor. The Italian sirocco wind occasionally reawakened the malaria Balthus had contracted during his military service in Morocco. And Balthus soon realised that the Swiss climate was good for him. Gstaad social scene in one of the outbuildings of the Grand Chalet in 2018. Balthus died here on 18 February 2001, in the presence of his wife Setsuko and his daughter Harumi. After Balthus's death, everything was left as it was at the time of his death. On the wall hangs a photograph of Balthus's friend Alberto Giacometti. "Alberto is always with me when I paint", Balthus on Giacometti's photograph. Over time, the Grand Chalet became a place of pilgrimage for countless admirers of Balthus's work. Many personalities visited the Grand Chalet, such as: The diplomat and senior international official Prince Sadruddhin Aga Khan, the photographers Kishin Shinoyama, Henri Cartier-Bresson and his wife, the portrait photographer Martine Franck, the painter Renato Guttuso, the gallerists and patrons Pierre Matisse, Alice Pauli and Ernst Beyeler, the actors Philippe Noiret, Tony Curtis, Richard Gere and Sharon Stone, the film director and photographer Wim Wenders, the film director and screenwriter Federico Fellini, the poet and essayist Claude Roy, the journalist and television presenter Gero von Boehm, the musicians Bono and Mick Jagger, the industrialists Gianni Agnelli and Gunter Sachs, the Dalai Lama, the secretary-general of the United Nations Kofi Annan, the philanthropist and art collector Simon Sainsbury, the models Elle Macpherson and Inès de La Fressange, the Italian businessman, art dealer and husband of Inès de La Fressange Luigi d'Urso (1951–2006), the fashion muse and accessory and jewellery designer Loulou de la Falaise, who was married to Thadée Klossowski de Rola (born 1944), the younger son of Balthus, and classical musicians such as Riccardo Muti and Zubin Mehta. David Bowie's interview with Balthus Another visitor was David Bowie, who, like Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti, was also an art connoisseur and friend of Balthus. Bowie conducted an interview with Balthus in the summer of 1994, which was published in Modern Painters. Bowie had asked Balthus for an interview, after he had joined the editorial board of Modern Painters that same year. For Bowie, however, this was not just an interview. For him it was "the interview with the least known great painter of the 20th century", as he said. And the stage where it was to take place was the legendary Grand Chalet. Bowie's plan worked. For the interview, Balthus invited him to lunch at the Grand Chalet. Bowie also lived in Switzerland at that time, not far from Balthus. The two had met at a gallery opening for Balthus's wife Setsuko. Bowie later said he was in awe: Both of the famous artist Balthus and of the task he had set himself of conducting this interview. He said: "I was so petrified, I nearly turned back three times." The interview and the introductory text by Bowie are considered extraordinary. 1993 Mouton Rothschild label wine, vintage 1993, in Balthus's studio. Balthus designed the bottle label for this vintage. It caused a scandal in the US and became a collector's item. Philippine Mathilde Camille, Baroness de Rothschild, was another friend and regular guest at the Grand Chalet. The baroness often stayed in Switzerland, usually residing at the family-owned Château de Pregny, near Geneva. From there, it was not far to Rossinière. Balthus also knew this area very well. After World War II, he had lived for some time in the Villa Diodati, also near Geneva. For the Baroness de Rothschild's winery, Château Mouton Rothschild, Balthus had designed the bottle label for the 1993 vintage. The design depicts a nude reclining nymphet. However, the label caused a scandal in the US and was banned there. Since it was the Baroness de Rothschild personally who had approved the bottle label for the 1993 vintage Château Mouton Rothschild, it was also the baroness who made the decision to withdraw the label from the US market when she heard of complaints about it. The interesting fact, however, is that the label was approved for use in the US by the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The result was that for the US market the label was made with a blank space where the image should have been. Both versions of the 1993 vintage are now extremely sought after by collectors. Richard Gere's interview with Balthus The last memorable interview Balthus gave also took place at the Grand Chalet. Like David Bowie in 1994, the interviewer was a global star: Richard Gere. For this interview, Gere travelled to Rossinière in December 2000 and spent two days at the Grand Chalet. It was Verde Visconti (born 1969), a cousin of the director Luchino Visconti (he was her great-granduncle), who introduced the two to each other many years ago. Nine weeks after this interview, Balthus died in his studio in Rossinière on 18 February 2001. As if he had anticipated it, Gere called the interview "The Farewell". The interview was published in the July 2001 issue of Vogue. Legacy with the pillows on which he died on 18 February 2001. Before he died, Balthus continually repeated: "I should continue, I should continue." With Balthus's funeral on 24 February 2001, the Grand Chalet's grand era also came to an end. Balthus's friends gathered at the Grand Chalet one last time to bid farewell to the great artist. Among them were Prince Sadruddhin Aga Khan, Elle Macpherson and Bono, who is Harumi Klossowska de Rola's godfather. The Irish singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band U2 sang at Balthus's funeral. In addition, Vittorio Emanuele, Principe di Savoia, and his wife Marina Doria, Principessa di Savoia, as well as their son, Emanuele Filiberto, Principe di Savoia, came to the funeral in Rossinière and paid their last respects to Balthus. Balthus had painted a portrait drawing of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia when the prince was still a child. Because Balthus painted slowly, the prince had to wait years for his portrait. There were paintings that Balthus worked on for up to 10 years before finally painting over them because he wasn't satisfied with them. His gallerist, Pierre Matisse, showed a lot of patience and understanding. Balthus's complete oeuvre comprises approximately 350 paintings. The family only owns five of them. The maintenance of the Grand Chalet is expensive and Balthus's painting style was slow. Therefore, the finished paintings always had to be handed over to the gallerists almost immediately so that the bills could be paid. Balthus hosted the art world and the friends of the arts at the Grand Chalet. Or as Ambassador Nicolas Bideau aptly put it during his visit to the Grand Chalet on 12 October 2018: "The Grand Chalet is a place for the arts, which have always been an important part of diplomacy. And cultural diplomacy overcomes borders and opens doors." The painter's simple grave lies under shady trees next to the Balthus Chapel in Rossinière. "Simplicity and purity", said Balthus, "are the essence from which everything emerges: the beautiful as well as the cruel." Balthus's widow, Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, continues to cultivate Balthus's legacy and is committed to preserving the Grand Chalet as a cultural landmark. In 1935, the year Balthus painted his portrait The King of Cats, he adopted the title King of Cats, which he used to sign his letters to his future first wife, Rose Alice Antoinette von Wattenwyl (1912–1997). The portrait bears the inscription: "A Portrait of H. M. The King of Cats, painted by Himself, MCMXXXV". The self-portrait thus represents a painter-monarch at the head of an empire populated by cats, exactly the situation that was also found at the Grand Chalet, which was home to Balthus's many cats. Unlike humans, the cats had unrestricted access to every room at the Grand Chalet, which of course also had a practical reason: The cats hunt the mice. In such large, old buildings as the Grand Chalet, there are numerous hiding places where mice can hide. Balthus's obsession with cats would last throughout his lifetime. ==''L'Atelier de Balthus''==

Following Balthus's passing, the Balthus Foundation was established at the Grand Chalet to preserve his legacy. In 2018, the heritage of the Balthus Foundation was entrusted to the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA), giving rise to the Atelier de Balthus Association, which seals and strengthens the links between Balthus, the Municipality of Rossinière and the Canton of Vaud. The association manages the cultural activity between the Balthus Chapel (a living museum on the life of the painter open all year round), the Balthus Studio open to the public and the Grand Chalet, the family home, an emblematic building, witness to the rich know-how of the craftsmen of yesteryear who built the architectural heritage of the region. Notable activities of the Balthus Foundation related to the Grand Chalet: • ''Bijoux et aquarelles d'Harumi'' – 22 February 2002 • La Jeunesse de Balthus – 21 September to 16 November 2003 • Henri Cartier-Bresson et Martine Franck – 4 July to 3 October 2004 • Les Dessins de Balthus – 26 June to 30 October 2005 • La Magie du Paysage – 2 July to 17 September 2006 • Le Mystère des Chats – 14 July to 16 September 2007 • Memorial Day – Ceremony for 100 years of Balthus – 29 February 2008 == References ==

In alphabetical order • Irene Loebell, Le Grand Chalet de Balthus (53', Digi Beta, ARTE G.E.I.E./SRF, SRG, SSR, 2003). Dokumentation über das vermutlich grösste Holzhaus in den europäischen Alpen • Damian Pettigrew, Balthus Through the Looking Glass (72', Super 16, PLANETE/CNC/PROCIREP, 1996). Documentary on and with Balthus filmed at work in his studio in Rossinière and in conversation at the Grand Chalet. Shot over a 12-month period in Switzerland, Italy, France and the Moors of England • Gero von Boehm, Balthus – Geheimnisse eines Malers, ZDF, 1996 ==External links==