Named in 1999 as the third greatest actress in American cinema by the American Film Institute (AFI) after Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) is also one of the most iconic symbols of mid-20th century modernity.
In the early 1960s, at the peak of her fame, the actress decided to move to Switzerland and, more specifically, to the small town of Tolochenaz, where she purchased a house that she named La Paisible (The Peaceful). She ended up spending 30 years of her life in this small municipality in Vaud.
The Cinémathèque suisse’s very diverse “Audrey Hepburn” iconographic collection contains some unique and very rare pieces. Some of these pieces were on display for the Swiss public in 2012 as part of the exhibition “Hubert de Givenchy & Audrey Hepburn, une élégante amitié” (Hubert de Givenchy & Audrey Hepburn, an elegant friendship), organised by the Musée Alexis Forel (Morges, VD) in collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse.