With an original mind and an extraordinarily curious nature, Jacques Brun was intensely active in a wide range of fields. As an expert, he was consulted for water and soil analyses and for forensic investigations. His real passion, however, was the study of diatoms, these microscopic planktonic algae that live in lakes and seas, of which he has become a world expert.
Director of the Geneva Botanical Garden between 1874 and 1879, he left behind an extraordinary collection comprising 6,800 species and varieties in 4,936 preparations, rivalling the largest public collections of the time.

Follow the presentation dedicated to Jacques-Joseph Brun.

This guided tour is part of the “Variations botaniques” series and complements "Our Illustrious Scientists", an exhibition included in COLLECTOR and dedicated to the great names in botany who have marked the history of the Geneva Botanical Garden and whose remarkable contributions to our collections are on display to mark the 200th anniversary of the Conservatoire.

Visit our full programme of activities