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THREE QUESTIONS
TO JEAN PAUL BARBIER-MUELLER
On the eve of the sale, do you feel sad at the idea
of your collection being bought by the city of
Barcelona or a European museum?
I have no regrets at all. An auction was the obvious
way to go. If I'd been younger, I would have looked
for "another Barcelona." In 1992, the 500th anniversary
of Christopher Columbus's voyage, 200 of my
Pre-Columbian objects took to the road, going to
Saint-Paul de Vence, Madrid, Santiago de Compostela,
Palma in Majorca, Barcelona and Lisbon. After
this highly successful tour, the Catalan capital asked
me to loan it to them. I was delighted, because
I hate objects to stay shut up in cases. I like to share
things. So we signed a contract, one in 1995,
another in 1997, and after two years of work, the
Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art was
opened by Queen Sofia. Over these fifteen years,
I have added around a hundred pieces to the
collection, which I bought, as usual, when I fell in
love with them. And I've got a lot out of them.
What guides your choices?
Solely the aesthetic aspect. If an object is interesting
ethnologically as well, I'm delighted. To have
the finest in a relatively common series doesn't
bother me at all. I'm not a snob... I don't need
objects that leave the public open-mouthed!
What I find amazing is the act of discovery. Some
objects literally leap out at me, and that's truly
extraordinary! I love things that spread out in a
space...
If you could only keep one object...
Definitely the little Olmec statuette of a seated
man, in serpentine (see photo). The flying duck is
wonderful, too - it's unique. But with this
pensive figure, probably a wrestler, we are
closer to the human being.
© abm-archives barbier-mueller
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Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller