The legacy, brought into the present.
Our story
Our grandparents, Monique and Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, founded the museum that bears their name in 1977. Its mission is to preserve, study, and share the cultures of the world through the arts. 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the Barbier-Mueller Museum . On this occasion, we joined forces and committed ourselves to perpetuating the family tradition. Our jewelry tells a story, that of the diversity and inventiveness of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Witnesses to long and rich traditions, jewelry is prized by both women and men for its aesthetic appeal, but also for its ability to transmit cultural heritage. This heritage, which our jewelry embodies, echoes the mythological mother of the Nine Greek Muses: Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. By wearing them, awaken the myth of the Muses and become an ambassador for, among others, the Baoulé of Ivory Coast, the Miao of China, or other ethnic groups of Tamil Nadu in India.
With this project, we are keen to pay tribute to our grandfather, Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, for whom curiosity about the world, respect for civilizations and the transmission of knowledge was a duty.
"I hope that no human being, no religion, no culture, however small, will disappear without leaving a clear trace."
The Barbier-Mueller Museum
The Barbier-Mueller Museum collection is the world's largest private collection of primitive art. Begun after the First World War, it now comprises several thousand pieces and includes works of art from tribal and classical antiquity, as well as sculptures, textiles and ornaments from civilizations around the world.
While African and Oceanic art forms the largest part of the collections, art from the Americas and the Malay Archipelago is also well represented. Many of these pieces are considered essential masterpieces.
This collection reflects a family's passion for beauty and the diversity of human artistic expression. It also testifies to the highest respect for the identity of the many ethnic groups teeming with cultural riches: masks, sculptures, initiation societies, complex origin myths, and so on. This truth should haunt us: how can we, men of the written word, equipped to preserve humanity's heritage, stand idly by and watch the extinction, the disappearance of myths as rich as those of Greece?
A project led by women
A project led by women: Les Muses BM was born from the initiative of the women of the Barbier-Mueller family. Driven by the desire to extend a cultural heritage while giving it a contemporary expression, they imagined a sensitive, respectful and outward-looking project.
Although not originally jewelry designers, they chose to collaborate with artists and artisans to translate works and stories into wearable pieces that carry meaning and memory.