International Contemporary Art Exhibition
Clarens/Montreux (CH) – 16.11. - 21.12.2012

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Past
“Henri Béard, the firm’s founder, used to work with his father in porcelain and glass work when he decided to go into silverwork in 1906. At first he took on two employees, a silversmith and a polisher-plater, with whom he went to work to build up his business. From these family and craftsmanlike beginnings, the business went from strength to strength, extending its field of activity from year to year. The year 1948 saw the inauguration of the new factory in Clarens, a rational construction in the shape of a cube of 23,000 m³, housing more than 100 workers, with showrooms as well as the workshops and offices. The factory supplied luxury hotels and private clinics all over the world, as well as the national airline Swissair’s first class lounges. The factory declined from the 1990s, and was sold in 2000 before finally closing in 2001.”

From a 1957 document presenting the factory




Present




Future
The building is now the property of the Balcons du Lac foundation, which will give it a complete facelift to convert it into a medical-social establishment for the elderly.