Institutional documentation

CV and exhibition history

Raphy Dallèves (Sion, 1878–1940), painter of the École de Savièse, a "modern primitive" (Elsig, 1999). Concise biography, exhibitions during his lifetime and posthumous, public collections, bibliography.

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Intended for curators, scholars and institutions. Source: Elsig's chronology, 1999.

Concise biography

Sion, Paris, Évolène.

1878
Born 26 January in Sion, son of Raphaël Dallèves, State Chancellor of Valais, and Marie Cropt.
1890–1898
Collège de Sion; first training under Joseph Morand (1865–1932).
1899–1905
Paris: Académie Julian (1899–1900), École des Beaux-Arts (1901–1905). Marked by the 1900 Exposition Universelle and Japonisme; a regular visitor to the Louvre's Italian galleries.
1903
Co-founds the Société des Traditions valaisannes and the Savièse section of the SPSAS (Swiss Society of Painters, Sculptors and Architects), alongside Ernest Biéler. Elsig's chronology (1999) gives 1905.
1906
Settles permanently in Valais (Sion, Mayens de Sion, Évolène).
1913
Elected associate member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris (12 June 1913).
1937
Appointed to the Cantonal Commission for Historic Monuments.
1940
Dies 6 July in Sion. Bequeaths the bulk of his œuvre (around 200 works) to the City of Sion and the State of Valais; the bequest founds the Musée cantonal des beaux-arts du Valais (1947).

Exhibitions during the artist's lifetime

From Munich to Paris, Rome to Zurich.

Selection, after the chronology established by Frédéric Elsig (1999).

1905
Munich
1907
Paris, Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts
1909
Munich, Glaspalast · Sion, Cantonal Exhibition
1911
Rome · Berlin · Zurich
1913
Zurich · Munich (Swiss representation, with Hodler, Amiet and Giacometti) · Paris
1916
Zurich, Helmhaus, "Walliser Maler" (with Edmond Bille and Verheun), 7–25 March
1917
Lausanne (Bille–Dallèves exhibition)
1918
Zurich · Basel · La Chaux-de-Fonds
1921
Zurich, Zunfthaus zur Waag
1926
Sion
1928
Sierre, Cantonal Exhibition
1931
Sion
1932
Winterthur
1934
Sion, Casino hall (last exhibition in his lifetime)

Posthumous exhibitions

A founding bequest, periodic returns.

1947
Sion, opening of the Musée cantonal des beaux-arts: two rooms devoted to Dallèves.
2006
Vevey, Musée Jenisch, "Collection d'été 06" (École de Savièse alongside Hodler, Steinlen and Balthus).
2012–2013
Sion, Musée d'art du Valais, "L'École de Savièse. Welcome to Paradise!"
2020–2021
Sion, Musée d'art du Valais, "My Pleasure! Donations, etc. 2000–2020" (the Dallèves bequest as the museum's founding narrative).

Public collections

A body of work in public hands.

Musée d'art du Valais (Sion) · Aargauer Kunsthaus · Swiss National Museum, Château de Prangins · Commune de Sion · Cantonal Library of Valais · Bishopric of Sion · Federal Tribunal, Lausanne · Banque cantonale du Valais (corporate collection) · listed in the Musée d'Orsay artists registry (notice 127859).

Essential bibliography

From Ritter (1921) to Elsig (1999).

Frédéric Elsig, Raphy Dallèves. Un primitif moderne, Éditions du Verseau, Denges, 1999.
Frédéric Elsig, "Raphy Dallèves (1878–1940), un 'primitif moderne'", Revue suisse d'art et d'archéologie, 55, 1998, pp. 41–44.
Louis Buzzini, Raphy Dallèves, Lausanne, 1941.
William Ritter, "Raphy Dallèves, pittore vallesano", Emporium, 54, 1921.
Bernard Wyder, "L'École de Savièse ou le centenaire d'une appellation controversée", Vallesia, 46, 1991, pp. 155–167.

Compiled by the Dallèves family after F. Elsig's chronology (1999). English version, July 2026. Individual object files available on request: institutions page.