Organized by the TELEMMe laboratory and the MAAOA (Museums of Marseille), this study day aims to bring together researchers, curators and amateurs in order to analyse the role of women in the history of the collection of antiques and non-European objects, a historiographical field long dominated by male figures.
Around the trajectory of Helena Rubenstein, recognised as a major figure in the history of so-called primitive arts, the papers will endeavour to exhume lesser-known or forgotten personalities (Divonne de Saint Villemer, Mrs. Laugier, Martine de Béhague, Jeanne Burat, Mrs. Besson…) and to document still unpublished bodies of work (numismatics, Persian carpets…).
By questioning the history of collections through the prism of gender studies, the day will assess the visibility and impact of these women as collectors, dealers or patrons.
The political dimension of her practices will also be addressed, considering women’s collecting not only as a vector of activism, but also as an instrument of intellectual and social emancipation.
This day will also question, in the form of a concluding round table, the real or supposed legacy left by these figures vis-à-vis contemporary collectors.
