Agenda

In 1939, strange sculptures appeared on the Paris antiquities market. Josef Müller (1887-1977), the founder of the collection of the Barbier-Müller museum in Geneva, acquired about twenty of them. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) discovered them in 1945. He was fascinated by these creations and baptized them “Barbus Müller”, probably after the beard that certain pieces sport and the name of Josef Müller.. He published them in a small leaflet, which contains the founding text on his concept of Art Brut.

Nothing was known about these statues. Various provenances were attributed to them over time, including the Americas and Oceania.  Thanks to a study the identity of the sculptor has been revealed: Antoine Rabany (1844-1919) from Chambon-sur-Lac, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme. Between 1907 and 1919 he is said to have produced a total of about fifty pieces. He started as an autodidact in 1907. Nowadays these statues are worth up to 50 000 euros each.

Assembling some twenty Barbus from its own collection and from private and public lenders, the exhibition (Les Barbus Müller-leur énigmatique sculpteur enfin démasqué) juxtaposes them with works from faraway cultures selected from its collections, in order to assess the resemblances and differences.

Although it is said that the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) settled the frontiers of Switzerland, Austria and Switzerland stubbornly disputed control of twenty square kilometres in an area around the village Tschlin in Graubünden. The Austrian emperor’s commitment and compromise finally led to the solution in 1868 and the last major border adjustment of Swiss territory. The exhibition tells this fascinating, but forgotten story. With the creation of the border, smuggling also arose. Swiss, Austrians and Italians continued this trade well into the 20th century. The exhibition presents typical contraband goods and smuggling equipment.

The Park in Sent belongs to the Fundaziun Not Vital with its seat in Ardez. The artist Not Vital (1948) bought the land in 1998. He installed sculptures, built houses and created architectural installations. He united architecture and sculpture by the working group SCARCH. The park is open to the public each Friday from June till the beginning of October. Reservation at the tourist office in Scuol is obligatory. (Further information: https://notvital.com).