Alfred Baur
Alfred Baur | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfred Baur 7 June 1865 Andelfingen, Switzerland |
| Died | 9 December 1951 (aged 86) Tournay Castle, Pregny, Switzerland |
| Occupations | Businessman, philanthropist, art collector |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse |
Eugénie Fanny Duret (m. 1894) |
Alfred Baur (French pronunciation: [al.fʁɛd boʁ]; 7 June 1865 – 9 December 1951) was a Swiss businessman, philanthropist and art collector who was primarily active in British Ceylon and later settled in Pregny on Lake Geneva.
Early life and education
Baur was born 7 June 1865 in Andelfingen, Switzerland, to Johannes Baur, a blacksmith, and Elisabeth Baur (née Keller), into a Protestant family. He had one younger sister; Anna Ruch (née Baur; 1869–1940).[1]
He completed a commercial apprenticeship at Volkart Brothers in Winterthur, a large international trading firm, that had offices in Colombo, British Ceylon. Ultimately, Baur was posted there as a sales agent.[2]
Career
After his tenure at Volkart, Baur founded his own export trading firm, A. Baur & Co Ltd., in 1897. The company manufactured organic fertilizers which where then used in the agricultural sector. Later, Baur acquired and operated several tea plantations.
Alfred Baur brought together a collection of Chinese porcelain, jade and Japanese art[3][4][5] objects which stands out as one of the most beautiful private collections in Europe today. A private collection reflects the preferences of an amateur and, as such, reveals the spirit of his time. Baur chose to buy "small quantities of rare works of art rather than large numbers of articles of inferior quality". Through his collections, he appears as a man of taste. During his lifetime, he donated his collections to a foundation which bears his name and that of his wife, a Genevese by birth: the "Fondation Alfred et Eugénie Baur-Duret".
The director of the museum is Monique Crick. The curator is Helen Loveday.[6]
Personal life
In 1894, Baur married Eugénie Fanny Duret (died 1961), who was widowed of Jules Brunnen, originally from Geneva. They did not have children.[7]
In 1906, after more than twenty years abroad, Baur returned to Switzerland where he acquired the Tournay Castle in Pregny (presently Pregny-Chambésy) near Geneva. He would also acquire Andelfingen Castle in his hometown and establish a retirement home.[8]
Baur had developed a distinct passion for oriental art during his travels.[9] His interest in oriental art had grown increasingly since the end of the previous century, stimulated as it was by scientific research, archeological excavation and the writings of a number of European experts.
See also
References
- ^ Death notice of Anna Ruch-Baur (1869–1940) https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZZ19400928-01.2.24.1&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-Anna+Ruch%252DBaur-------0-----
- ^ A. Baur & Co. Ltd: 100 years in Sri Lanka, 1897-1997 (1997)
- ^ Collecting Japanese Antiques by Alistair Seton (2004) p.113
- ^ Splendors of Imperial Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period From the Khalili Collection by Joe Earle (2005) p.141
- ^ Treasures of Imperial Japan: Ceramics from the Khalili Collection by Oliver Impey and Malcolm Fairley (2005) p.21
- ^ "Baur Foundation :: Contact us :: Address". Archived from the original on 2015-08-16. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
- ^ HLS/DSS Baur, Alfred (1865–1951)
- ^ Obituary of Alfred Baur (in French) https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=TDG19511211-01.2.16.5.1&srpos=6&e=------195-de-20--1--img-txIN-Alfred+Baur-------0-----
- ^ Alfred Baur: Pionnier et collectionneur = Alfred Baur : pioneer and collector by Pierre-Francis Schneeberger (1989)
External links
- Fondation Baur - a museum of Far Eastern art collected by Baur in Geneva, Switzerland
- The Baur Collection Geneva - a rare and complete set of the BAUR COLLECTIONS in Chinese Arts Geneva, Switzerland