An exhibition titled Jules Jacot Guillarmod | Pionnier de l’Himalaya at the Jan Michalski Fondation Library (Switzerland) offers a selection of prints from this experienced mountaineer and photographer.
Born in 1868, Jules Jacot Guillarmod was a doctor, explorer, and photographer originally from La Chaux-de-Fonds, in Switzerland. Experienced mountaineer, he made himself known through pioneer expeditions in the Himalayas at the dawn of the 20th century. His 1919 mission on behalf of the International Center of the Red Cross to the camps of Austro-Hungarian prisoners deported to Siberia, as well as his trek across Africa in 1925, which was halted after his death on the boat that brought him back to Europe, also established his reputation. His services, his scholarly contributions, and his explorations were honored with prestigious awards.
It was during the international exhibition of 1902 in the massif of Karakoram, attempting the first assent of Chogori, the famous K2, the world’s second highest summit at 8,611 meters in altitude, that Jules Jacot Guillarmod took, in addition to scientific observations, many unpublished photographs of this still unknown Himalayan land. The roped party never reached the peak and were stuck for several weeks at more that 6,000 meters on the glacier of Baltoro. On his return, the doctor-photographer outlined the adventure in an illustrated work, published in 1904 under the title Six mois dans l’Himalaya, le Karakorum et l’Hindu-Kush : voyages et explorations aux plus hautes montagnes du monde (Six Months in the Himalayas, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush: Voyages and Explorations in the Highest Mountains of the World).
His photographic approach continued for a new expedition in the Himalayas in 1905 to overcome Kangchenjunga, the third peak of the planet at 8,586 meters high. Even if the peaks are still untouched, these summit conquests remain true achievements highly regarded throughout the entire world. The thousands of photographs taken by Jacot Guillarmod on stereoscopic glass plates over the course of his travels establish a precious heritage just as documentary as it is aesthetic. Projected during the conferences starting in 1902, they still impress today with their epic dimension. This exhibition is a voyage through time, on the rooftops of the world, by an out-of-the-ordinary Swiss adventurer.
Jules Jacot Guillarmod, pionnier de l’Himalaya
From March 18 through April 30, 2017
Jan Michalski Fondation Library
En Bois Désert 10
1147 Montricher
Switzerland
