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La Fourchette — Jean-Pierre Zaugg, Vevey

La Fourchette, an eight-metre stainless-steel fork, stands upright in Lake Geneva at Vevey, with mountains behind, people on an inflatable boat and a man sitting on the shore rocks.
Artwork FileVevey · Switzerland

La Fourchette

SeenOct 2024

Jean-Pierre Zaugg (design), Georges Favre (steelwork) · 1995 · Lake Geneva, Vevey, Switzerland

Photo: Markus Schweizer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), taken 18 July 2020; resized. Full photograph shown.

An eight-metre stainless-steel fork stands upright in Lake Geneva, a few metres off the quay in front of the Alimentarium food museum in Vevey. The museum commissioned La Fourchette from the Neuchâtel artist Jean-Pierre Zaugg for its tenth anniversary in 1995, and the Vevey metalworker Georges Favre built it. Source Source Checked

Seen Oct 2024 — the newest dated photo we found is on Wikimedia Commons, dated 6 October 2024 by its photographer; earlier Commons photos date from 2008, 2020 and 2023. Source Source Reported

More photos

La Fourchette in winter 2008: the giant steel fork stands alone in calm grey-blue Lake Geneva, with misty mountains on the horizon and rocks in the foreground.
2008 Back in the lake, the winter after its 2007 returnPhoto: Muriel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
La Fourchette in April 2023: the steel fork stands in blue Lake Geneva at Vevey, with snowy Alps and a paddle steamer behind and rocks in the foreground.
2023 Spring, with a paddle steamer passingPhoto: David Haberthür / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
La Fourchette in October 2024, seen close up: the steel fork in grey-blue Lake Geneva, with brown marks on the tines at the waterline and mountains under cloud behind.
2024 Close up, with water marks on the tinesPhoto: Llez / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

💡 5 things to know

  1. Meant for one summerIn February 1995 the Alimentarium asked for a permit for April to October 1995 only, for its anniversary festivities. Source Checked
  2. Refused a permanent placeThe canton refused a permanent permit on 8 January 1996. On 24 June 1996 the Vaud administrative court rejected the appeals of the Alimentarium and the town of Vevey and set 31 August 1996 as the deadline to remove the fork. Source Checked
  3. A giant’s cutleryThe court described the fork as looking, from the quay, as if a gargantuan diner had planted it in the lake. Source Checked
  4. Back by petitionThe fork came back in 2007 for the Alimentarium exhibition “Couverts découverts”, backed by a public petition; Georges Favre says the canton of Vaud decreed in autumn 2008 that it could stay. Source Source Reported
  5. Fixed by two tinesThe court file describes a stainless-steel fork 8 m high and 1.30 m wide at the tines, fixed by its two outer tines to a submerged concrete base about 5 m from the shore. Source Source Checked

📍 Where it is

In Lake Geneva, about 5 metres off the quai Perdonnet, in front of the Alimentarium’s south façade, Vevey, Switzerland. Source Checked Wikipedia gives its position as about 46.45776, 6.84627. Source Reported

Open in Maps

Opens the map at the fork’s coordinates as given on Wikipedia; we have not checked Street View for it.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1995

    Installed for the museum’s 10th birthday

  2. 199624 Jun

    Court: remove it by 31 August

  3. 2007

    Back for “Couverts découverts”

  4. 20082 Jan

    Photo by Muriel

  5. 2008Autumn

    Canton lets it stay (Favre)

  6. 202018 Jul

    Photo by Markus Schweizer

  7. 20238 Apr

    Photo by David Haberthür

  8. 20246 Oct

    Photo by Llez

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Vaud administrative court24 June 1996

Ruling AC 1996/0007

“Début 1995, Alimentarium a commandé au plasticien Jean-Pierre Zaugg, à Neuchâtel, une oeuvre intitulée “La Fourchette”.”

English: “Early in 1995 the Alimentarium commissioned the Neuchâtel artist Jean-Pierre Zaugg to make a work titled ‘La Fourchette’.”

Read the source →

Georges Favreundated

La Fourchette

“À l’automne 2008, le canton de Vaud a décrété que la Fourchette pouvait rester dans le paysage lémanique.”

English: “In autumn 2008 the canton of Vaud decreed that the Fork could stay in the Lake Geneva landscape.”

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Designer
Jean-Pierre Zaugg, artist from Neuchâtel Source Source Checked
Fabricator
Georges Favre, metalwork, Vevey Source Source Checked
Commissioner
The Alimentarium, Vevey, for its tenth anniversary Source Source Checked
Installed
February 1995 according to Favre; the court file says the provisional permit was granted on 27 March 1995 Source Source Conflicting
Material and size
Stainless steel; 8 m high, 1.30 m wide at the tines Source Source Checked
Place
Lake Geneva, about 5 m off the quai Perdonnet, Vevey Source Checked
Coordinates
About 46.45776, 6.84627 (Wikipedia) Source Reported
Removal order
Appeals rejected on 24 June 1996; removal deadline 31 August 1996 Source Checked
Return
2007, for the exhibition “Couverts découverts”; allowed to stay from autumn 2008 Source Source Reported
Status
Standing in the newest dated photo, 6 October 2024 (date given by the photographer) Source Reported

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 13 November 2026 · How we verify art