Mountain Muse

Mario Colonel is one of the leading photographers and reporters in the mountain press. A nomad of the peaks, hiker, mountaineer, and skier, he is the author of some twenty books in which he shares some of his perspectives. Since 2007, his gallery has been his home base, featuring large-format images that are resolutely focused on the unknown, much like his own work. His original colour and black and white prints are displayed alongside those of renowned wildlife photographers and sculptures inspired by the Alps. “What matters to me is reaching for the horizon.” Thanks to his work, we always look far beyond the end of our noses.

Mario Colonel Gallery - 19, rue Whymper - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

The Tairraz family represents four generations who have literally built the visual memory of the mountain range. Joseph laid the foundations by creating the “Tairraz Alpine Photography” studio in 1857. Georges Sr. perfected the technique, and Georges Jr. took the lenses to the high altitudes. Then came Pierre Tairraz, a discreet heir and an obsessive perfectionist with a minimalist and geometric style like his father. His signature is to restore scale with figures meticulously placed like extras in the mountain, which always plays the leading role. Hours of waiting for perfect light, for the sun to graze the ridge, for a silhouette positioned with millimetre precision. For the Tairraz family, photography is an art. So is patience.

Maison Tairraz - 162, avenue Michel Croz - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

In the 19th century, Gabriel Loppé revolutionized alpine painting by painting directly from his subject—the high mountains, where he sometimes remained for several days in the wind and solitude. Gaping crevasses, frozen lakes, silhouettes lost in the white immensity: his work captures the living, shifting, and fragile mountain. His paintings, of an almost mystical realism, can be seen in the Valley at the Galerie Art Design, where each painting, photograph, and sculpture is a window onto the Mont Blanc massif.

Galerie Art Design - 18, impasse du Genepy - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

In the Valley, Marcel Wibault is a legend. His body of work comprises nearly 4,000 pieces, often painted up high, up close and in a single stroke, in the cold and with urgency. His son, Lionel Wibault, followed in his footsteps, an ice axe from the Chamonix Guides Company in one hand, an artist's brush in the other. And the story continues with Emma Wibault, Lionel's daughter. An interior designer, she transformed part of her grandfather's historic chalet-workshop into a secluded guesthouse. At L’Alpenrose, guests sleep surrounded by woodwork carved by Marcel, his easel, his collection of toy soldiers (his first passion), and his backpack full of gear, always ready for a mountain adventure. It’s a rare and immersive experience, a truly inspiring stay.

L’Alpenrose - Chemin du Cé - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc