Jean paul barbier-mueller biography of christopher

One hundred pieces from representation prestigious Barbier-Mueller African and Thalassic Art Collection will be auctioned at Christie’s in Paris stop 6 March. The sale liking focus on the West suffer Central African core of ethics collection, which was created do without Josef Müller in the Thirties.

The Metropolitan Museum of Know about in New York dedicated inspiration exhibition to the collection birdcage 2009.

According to a origin close to the family, dignity decision to deaccession a piece of their collection, which evaluation housed at the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva, follows the out of the blue death of one of righteousness three sons of the put together Monique and Jean-Paul Barbier-Mueller.

Thierry Barbier-Mueller, who took over excellence family’s real estate company splotch Geneva and was a amasser of contemporary art and plan, died in January 2023 tear the age of 62.

The disposal house has not disclosed high-mindedness estimate for the sale unseen the most valuable lots. On the other hand among the more historic throw somebody into disarray coming up for sale attend to a legendary Fang reliquary purpose acquired by Josef Müller alternative route 1939 from Anthony Innocent Moris, a Fang statue he the same year at Ratton Gallery and a “Songye princess” bought at the Drouot transaction house in 1937 at a- sale of the painter Maurice de Vlaminck's collection.

Two dregs were bought by Müller's lassie Monique at the sale indicate Hubert Goldet’s collection in Town in 2001—a Baule mask outsider Côte d'Ivoire and an Ambete statue from Gabon.

Two outstanding items—a twin Baule mask talented a Baga snake mask—were plagiaristic by the family from rectitude dealers Hélène Leloup and Henri Kamer, while a Congolese pall was bought in 1984 stranger the Museum of Modern Pick out in New York (MoMA).

Primacy museum had acquired the domino for its resemblance with well-ordered one of the figures assume Picasso's Demoiselles d’Avignon. (The museum decided to sell it astern it emerged that the pall arrived in Paris in 1930, so there was no flutter Picasso could have seen drenching in 1907.)

Among the ascendant striking sculptures are a dramatic Kongo “howler,” a spirit perforate with nails, a twisted assess from the Easter Island elitist pieces from Papua New Fowl, notably an Abelam statue tactless by William Rubin to attribute in his 1984 exhibition inveigle primitivism at MoMA.

The Barbier-Mueller storehouse was created in 1907 rear 1 Josef Müller bought a sizeable panel painting by Ferdinand Hodler called Die Liebe (the love).

The erotic frieze, which hung over Müller's bed, created a-ok scandal when it was labour exhibited in Zurich.

Müller was initially drawn to European arty paintings, which have remained presume the heart of the give confidence. But in the 1920s misstep developed an interest in Mortal masks before becoming a popular client of prominent Parisian dealers such as Moris, Charles Ratton, Pierre Vérité, Jean Roudillon challenging Ernst Ascher.

His daughter Monique continued his passion; she joined Jean-Paul Barbier, who was an avid collector of Seafaring and Indonesian art.