Exhibitions by the Prints and Drawings Department
Lakes, Mirrors of Switzerland
Switzerland’s 1,500 or so lakes shape the country’s landscape and identity. The exhibition ‘Lakes, Mirrors of Switzerland’ takes you on a journey through history, from Switzerland’s founding myths and legends, to the tradition of ‘Badi’ (open-air swimming areas), dams and reservoirs. From March 12, 2026, to June 5, 2026
Colour Space
From 9 November 2024 to 24 January 2025, the NL is presenting an exhibition of prints from Edition VFO (Verein für Originalgraphik) and from its Prints and Drawings Department. The works will be juxtaposed in seven thematic areas.
Snow. The wonder in white
From 4 March to 1 July 2022 the exhibition “Snow” invites you to engage with the wonder in white through a range of playful, scientific, poetic and artistic exhibits. Guided tours, a reading evening and other events complement the exhibition.
Vote now! On the right to have a say
Fifty years ago, Switzerland’s electorate doubled in size at a stroke. The introduction of votes for women in 1971 constituted the largest expansion of the voting public in the history of the nation’s democratic system. Half a century on from that momentous event, the Swiss National Library takes a close look at political and cultural participation in Switzerland.
Meat - An Exhibition on the Inner Life
From 4 March to 30 June 2021 we turn our attention to meat, following it from the table back via the butcher’s shop and the slaughterhouse to the farm. We reveal what’s in the meat we consume, where it comes from, and where its future lies.
Vu du ciel. Du ballon de Spelterini au drone.
28.02.–28.06.2019 A quoi ressemble la Suisse vue du ciel ? Pour un large public, ce sont les photographies d’Eduard Spelterini qui, d’abord, ont répondu à cette question. A cette époque, il fallait avoir un réel esprit de pionnier pour faire des photos depuis les airs. Aujourd’hui, le drone rend la photographie aérienne accessible à tous.
Le LSD. Les 75 ans d’un enfant terrible
7.9.2018–11.1.2019 C’est en 1943 qu’Albert Hofmann a découvert les effets hallucinogènes du LSD. En s’inspirant du best-seller du chimiste suisse « LSD, mon enfant terrible », la bibliothèque nationale raconte dans cette exposition l’histoire de cette substance située à mi-chemin entre drogue miracle et œuvre diabolique.
Parkett. 101 Contemporary Art Books
2.3.–29.6.2018 Parkett is many things: a book series, a global network for art practitioners and researchers, and an edition project. The exhibition looks back at the last 34 years of contemporary art, not just in the National Library but also online.
The Photobook and its Authors
28.11.2015 –13.2.2016 The exhibition “The Photobook and its Authors” encompasses photobooks from the 1990s onwards, from the very rich collection of the Swiss National Library.