Tina Barney’s large family portraits, taken over a period of more than 40 years and now on display at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, amaze me, and I’m sure other visitors too, with the Photographer’s interest in intergenerational relationships. Many of the faces in these intimate and occasionally disturbing images are familiar to me through personal friendships, work relationships, or magazine society pages. They look at you and you feel obligated to respond. You are welcome to enter the described interiors.
As a lover of visual arts and decorative arts, my eyes are naturally fascinated by the interior details: a Tiepolo painting, an American Chippendale chest, a Louis XV chest of drawers, porcelain dishes and random pieces of modern art. Barney carefully stages two or sometimes three generations of the same family in these environments, which hint at continuity between the values and lifestyles of American and European society, but also at the seeds of change.
It has been almost 30 years since Barney started his work Europeansbut the intergenerational ties and tensions—between Collector and Heir—resonate today. In the next 25 years, we will see the largest wealth transfer in history, with up to $100 billion worth of wealth passing from Baby Boomers to those born after 1980, especially Millennials and Generation Z, so well represented in his photo series Youth. A recent study by Swiss bank UBS and Art Basel found that about 90 percent of wealthy collectors own heirloom artworks, and some of the young faces in Barney’s photos are undoubtedly among them.
Looking at the objects in these portraits, an immediate question arises: will the younger generation carry on the traditions of their ancestors? Do they want to preserve historic apartments and live in baroque spaces filled with fine art and artifacts? Will a young red-haired girl, trapped in front of a display case full of Meissen figurines—presumably bought by the same grandparents sitting in the background—finally destroy them?
Very often, the change in lifestyles of new generations has a direct impact on how they inhabit the spaces of the home. Rituals have changed dramatically and with that I feel that a certain elegance and style has been lost forever.
The lifestyles of the young children portrayed by Barney have undeniably changed: the desire for a simpler life at home or more freedom has paved the way for lighter, more open interiors; holiday habits have also been modified. I think back to a bit of nostalgia holidaywhich lasted three, sometimes even four months in the same family vacation, now replaced by numerous, sometimes hectic weekends, each time in a different place, Posted without delay to the rest of the world on Instagram on the way home. The salons of the Palazzo Labia or the Palazzo Volpi in Venice or the Hôtel Lambert in Paris will never again see the mythical themed parties attended by the cream of the aristocracy and the financial world.
A certain understatement, even in fashion, which is not necessarily synonymous with elegance, has replaced the glamor of the past. Make authoritative and menacing fathers immortalized Europeans still exist? Even the apron-wearing maids depicted by Barney have largely become a thing of the past as the habits and needs of modern families and households have evolved.
But for some in the higher echelons of the aristocracy, maintaining historical traditions is less a choice and more a profound duty. For centuries, members of the famous Doria Pamphilj family, which includes Pope Innocent X, have maintained Rome’s majestic 17th-century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and its collections, including masterpieces by Velázquez, Caravaggio and Titian. I was recently invited to the palazzo and I greatly admire how Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj – who inherited the palazzo with his sister in 2000 – has proudly overseen the beautiful and faithful renovation.
Just like similar cases in Great Britain, both the building and its contents are considered a national treasure that cannot be sold for the careful care of each successive generation. Chatsworth House beautifully preserves its grandeur with modern minimalist artworks, continuing the tradition of each generation adding their own interests to the past.
Then there are others who seek a break from the past. Collections are shared and scattered for others to enjoy. They want to live with houses that are easier to maintain, houses that are less ornate or showy, that are more minimal. Sometimes the mighty figure of a parent or grandparent is so dominant that children feel the need to leave, to create a collection—and a life—that reflects their own identity. A matter of personal taste, sometimes revenge?
But my impression today, perhaps biased, is that we are witnessing a renewed appreciation for more luxurious, ornate and perhaps meaningful interiors after years of minimalist dictatorship. Even young collectors are seduced by the decoration. I’m sure one of the many reasons for Barney’s show is that his pieces visually resonate in some way with the fashion of the moment. I don’t remember how many fashion houses have staged their shots in historic settings with high ceilings and ornate boiseries.
Once I challenged my three children: “What would you keep from my small collection when I die?” No reaction. I immediately replied, “Oh well! I’ll donate a few things to the Victoria and Albert Museum.” The riot started suddenly! “That watch is mine!”
I wonder what Barney thinks of this new trend. He said in 1995: “I want every thing to be seen, the beauty of everything: textures, fabrics, colors, porcelain, furniture, architecture.” As we enter the era of so-called great wealth transfer, the passion and preferences of heirs will shape the art and antiques market of the future—and while their ways may have changed somewhat, Barney portrayed those heirs. I seem to be looking more and more happily at the taste of their grandparents.
Mario Tavella is the chairman of Sotheby’s Europe
‘Tina Barney: Family Ties‘ will appear at the Jeu de Paume in Paris until January 19. His book of the same name is out now, published by Aperture/Atelier EXB