(State Council of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel). Since 1884, the MBAL, through its Society, is a member of the Société suisse des beaux-arts (Swiss Society for Fine Arts). The museum is also a member of the Swiss Museums Association (SMA) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Collection The MBAL houses a collection of nearly 3,500 graphic artworks, paintings and sculptures. The collection, assembled from gifts, legacies, purchases and donations (notably from the Confederation and the Gottfried Keller Foundation), is spread over more than 150 years, and mainly belongs to the Société des beaux-arts et du musée du Locle. It brings together works by regional, Swiss and international artists, some dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. However, most of the collection consists of works from the end of the 19th century to the present day. Well-known artists such as Albert Anker, Charles Clément, Gustave Jeanneret, Édouard Jeanmaire, Charles L’Eplattenier, Léopold Robert, Otto et Benjamin Vautier, Francisco de Goya, Odilon Redon, Jean-Baptiste Corot, Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Matisse, etc. are included in the collection. These works are regularly exhibited during temporary exhibitions. From 1946, under the leadership of its director Charles Chautems, the museum showed a keen interest in etching and printmaking and presented a first exhibition entitled Le livre moderne illustré (The Modern Illustrated Book). The success was immediate and a second exhibition followed in 1950: 50 ans de gravure française (50 Years of French Engraving). It was organised in collaboration with the Comité national de la gravure française (National Committee for French Engraving) and the Cabinet des Estampes de Paris. The interest aroused by the prints of Bonnard, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall and many other artists, encouraged the MBAL to focus its collection on original printmaking, while remaining open to other media. To reinforce this focus and boost its activity, the museum installed a printmaking workshop in 1980. Introductory engraving and etching classes were offered and the facilities made available to artists. Today, prints make up the bulk of the MBAL’s collection. The MBAL has also housed the Lermite Foundation since 1977, the year of the death of locally based artist Jean-Pierre Schmid, known as Lermite (1920-1977), which works towards the recognition and promotion of his art. During his lifetime, the artist donated his entire graphic work to the MBAL. This collection was completed in 2001 with the purchase of more than 200 works, including