Opale Foundation

At the Lens Art Centre, the Fondation Opale explores contemporary art based on universal themes developed through temporary exhibitions, conferences, workshops and meetings with artists.

Established in 2018, Fondation Opale is the sole contemporary art centre dedicated to the promotion of Indigenous Australian art in Europe.

Born from the passion of its founder, Bérengère Primat, to share the creative expression of Australia’s First Peoples, the foundation is built around her collection of more than 1,900 works – one of the largest private collections of contemporary Aboriginal art in the world.

Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, in the Lens Art Centre (Lens/Crans-Montana), Fondation Opale hosts temporary exhibitions in its 1,200 m² of gallery space. These exhibitions highlight contemporary Aboriginal art while fostering dialogue with modern and contemporary artworks from across the globe, embracing the belief that art transcends borders.

Current exhibition : EMILY KAM KNGWARRAY 14.06.2026 → 08.11.2026

From 14 June to 8 November 2026, Fondation Opale presents Emily Kam Kngwarray, a monographic exhibition coinciding with the 30th anniversary of her passing. Dedicated to one of the most significant figures of 20th-century contemporary art, Anmatyerr artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (c. 1914–1996), the exhibition is organised in close collaboration with Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Australia. It brings together more than 80 works and constitutes the most comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the artist in Europe.

Born in the Sandover region of Australia’s Northern Territory, Emily Kam Kngwarray began painting at around the age of 74. She first encountered batik in the late 1970s within the Utopia community, before turning to acrylic painting on canvas. Her early works are characterised by chromatic vibrations within a restrained palette. In the final years of her life, she underwent a radical stylistic shift towards powerful compositions of lines and an expanded palette.