Page 28 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936 - 2021)

Géraldine Lenain
President of the Amis du Musée Guimet

With Jean-Pierre Rousset, everything is elegance: his appearance, This constant reserve that he adopted as a way of life was to his
always impeccable. Whether on his motorboat in Cannes or on a credit. When he decided in 2003 to finance the second part of the
trip with friends to the Cambodian jungle, he was always in suit and restoration of the monumental court painting, The Hanlin Academy
tie. Photos of him walking through the busy streets of Hong Kong in (Hanlinyuan 翰林院), painted in 1744-1745, in the collection of the
the 1980s, dressed to the nines in the extreme heat of summer and Cernuschi Museum in Paris, he told no one about it. The gesture was
the intense humidity, illustrate the gentleman that he was, unfailingly noble, just as he was. When the alarming state of this commemora-
“comme il faut”. When he and his charming wife Micheline (1929 - tive work, which describes the 1744 banquet of the Qianlong em-
2004) received guests for dinner in their splendid apartment in the peror on the occasion of the renovation of the Academy's buildings,
Tour France in Puteaux, it was with style, with the incredible services came to light, Jean-Pierre Rousset immediately responded to the
of 18th century Famille Rose export porcelain, surrounded by Khmer call, without expecting anything in return.
sculptures, archaic Chinese bronzes and 18th century Japanese
screens; his manner self-effacing. Never to be noticed. Not to give
himself away, even to those closest to him. During his daily visits to
Hôtel Drouot, he could be seen making his rounds in the viewing
rooms, concentrating on the pieces rather than the socialising. It
was rare to see him at exhibition openings or at cocktail parties. At
public auctions, he never sat in the front row, preferring the back of
the room where he could disappear into the crowd and bid without
being seen.

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