Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient

What Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient does

Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient is a private cultural foundation established in 1964 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Alfred Baur (1865-1951), a Swiss businessman who built his fortune in Ceylon through an organic fertilizer company. The foundation opened to the public on October 9, 1964, and houses approximately 9,000 Chinese and Japanese art objects — including 756 Chinese ceramics spanning the Tang to Qing dynasties, more than 800 Japanese lacquers, 500+ Chinese snuff bottles, and 137 jade pieces — making it the only museum in Switzerland exclusively dedicated to Far Eastern art and the largest such publicly accessible collection in the country. The collection is displayed in a 19th-century mansion at 8 rue Munier-Romilly across dedicated China, Japan, and Donations galleries, with a traditional Japanese dry garden and underground exhibition spaces opened in 1997.

The museum's product offering centers on permanent collection exhibition, rotating temporary exhibitions, a cultural mediation program (workshops, guided tours, conferences, school programs), and a publications program including the Baur Collection Catalogues series. Revenue is generated through admission fees (CHF 10 full / CHF 5 reduced for permanent collections; CHF 15/10 for temporary exhibitions), an annual Friends of the Museum membership at CHF 60 (Swiss residents) or CHF 80 (international), cultural event fees, and publication sales — both online and on-site. Private tours are available at CHF 150 plus group-rate admission.

Go-to-market is event-driven: the museum hosts cultural events and exhibitions, participates in external events such as GemGenève (May 2026), Japan Impact at EPFL (February 2025), and Geneva Art Week, and engages a multi-channel marketing mix including a five-language website (French, English, German, Japanese, Chinese), newsletter, Facebook/Instagram presence, press relations, and partnerships with CFPArts, INHA, Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève, and Geneva Resort Pass. The museum is currently temporarily closed for technical renovation work. Governance is provided by a Foundation Council chaired by Blaise Godet; day-to-day operations are led by Director and General Curator Laure Schwartz-Arenales with curators Helen Loveday (Japanese) and Pauline d'Abrigeon (Chinese).

Name

Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient

Legal name

Fondation Alfred et Eugénie Baur-Duret (collections), musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient

Website

https://fondation-baur.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Fondation Baur is a private Swiss museum in Geneva, established in 1964, exclusively dedicated to Chinese and Japanese art. It houses approximately 9,000 Far Eastern objects and serves general public visitors, school groups, members, and academic researchers through exhibitions, publications, and cultural programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Asian art museum
• Cultural exhibitions
• Chinese ceramics collection
• Japanese art collection
• Art education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission fees: Museum entry tickets for permanent collections (China, Japan, Donations) and temporary exhibitions. Prices vary by ticket type (full, reduced, group). Online and on-site ticket purchasing available.
2. Museum membership (Friends of Museum): Annual membership program offering free entry, event invitations, bulletin subscription, and 20% discount on publications. CHF 60/year for Swiss residents, CHF 80/year for international members.
3. Publication sales: Sale of exhibition catalogues, bulletins, and books on Far Eastern art. Publications available for purchase at the museum and via mail order. Members receive 20% discount.
4. Cultural event fees: Fees for cultural activities including workshops, conferences, demonstrations, and guided tours. Registration required for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Fondation Baur operates a museum dedicated to Far Eastern arts in Geneva, housing approximately 9,000 works of Chinese and Japanese art spanning from the 8th to the 20th centuries. The foundation offers access to permanent collections, temporary exhibitions, cultural events, educational programs for schools, museum publications, and a Japanese garden, all presented in a 19th-century private mansion.

Product overview

Fondation Baur is a museum of Far Eastern Art offering physical and digital experiences centered on its permanent collections of approximately 9,000 Chinese and Japanese art objects (ceramics, jade, snuff bottles, lacquers, woodblock prints, textiles, sword fittings) displayed across dedicated galleries. The museum's portfolio includes temporary themed exhibitions, a cultural mediation program (workshops, guided tours, conferences), educational activities for schools, and a publications program (catalogues and Bulletins). E-commerce services cover online ticket sales, event registration, and publication purchases. Membership is offered through the Friends of the Museum program. The museum also maintains a traditional Japanese garden and provides private tour services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• GemGenèveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026The Baur Foundation participates in the 10th edition of GemGenève (May 7-10, 2026) at Palexpo. Exhibiting nearly 40 works of art including imperial jades and jasper snuff bottles. Co-curating the exhibition 'Shaping Matter, Enhancing Beauty' with MAH Geneva curator Estelle Fallet. Nearly 100 pieces from institutional and private collections featured.
• MAH Geneva (Musée d'art et d'histoire)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with MAH Geneva for GemGenève exhibition 'Shaping Matter, Enhancing Beauty'. Pauline d'Abrigeon (curator of Chinese art) co-curating with Estelle Fallet from MAH Geneva.
• Geneva Resort PassminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBaur Foundation is a partner with Geneva Resort Pass. Special summer offer: free Geneva Resort Pass for hotel guests with access to 100+ activities at reduced prices.
• Aux Mille Pins (Emiko Okamoto)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTea service provider at museum events. Operates tea counter during special events and provides matcha/hojicha lattes and Japanese tea accessories at museum shop.
• INHA (Institut national de l'histoire de l'art)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for podcast 'La recherche à l'œuvre'. Pauline d'Abrigeon featured in episode 'Chine – France: des céramistes et des espions' discussing the exhibition 'Le secret des couleurs'.
• Haute Ecole de Musique de GenèveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Museum Night events, providing musical performances and concerts during special museum evenings.
• CFPArts (Centre de formation professionnelle Arts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with CFPArts bijouterie-joaillerie program for watch design competition 'Dans l'écrin du musée Baur' (2023). Students created watches themed around the museum collections.
• Japan Impact (EPFL)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst-time participation in Japan's largest festival in French-speaking Switzerland (February 2025). Museum presence at stand J11 with Japanese collection quiz, badges, publications, and shop items.
• Institut National des Biens culturels de TokyominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour experts visited in February to assess condition of Japanese folding screen 'Tatsuta' from 1867 Paris Exposition. Identified as work by Kano Shôsen'in Tadanobu.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Musée Guimet: France's national museum of Asian art, the European flagship for Far Eastern art collections. Closest functional peer in terms of collection scope and curatorial depth, though at significantly larger scale.
• Museum Rietberg: Zurich's leading museum of non-European art, including significant Asian collections. Most comparable Swiss peer—similar size, federal-city museum model, and focus on Asian and global art audiences.
• Musée Cernuschi: Paris museum specializing in Chinese art, housed in a 19th-century mansion similar to Baur's setting. Comparable in collection focus and intimate-scale presentation of East Asian art.
• Museum of East Asian Art: Small independent museum in Bath, UK focused on East Asian art. Closely comparable operating model—private museum, specialist focus, modest team, and similar scale of permanent collection.
• Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Museum of Asian Art): Berlin's state museum dedicated to Asian art including Chinese and Japanese collections. Comparable in curatorial specialization, though supported by larger public funding and visitor base.
• Musée des Arts Asiatiques (Nice): Nice museum of Asian art housed in a Kengo Kuma-designed building. Comparable in specialist focus on Asian art and similar reliance on temporary exhibitions to drive visitation.

Emerging players

• Asia Society Museum: New York museum with rotating Asian art exhibitions. Comparable as a programming-oriented institution, though operates as part of a larger policy and cultural organization rather than a focused collector's foundation.

Broad incumbents

• British Museum (Department of Asia): Holds one of the world's largest collections of Chinese and Japanese art as part of a broader encyclopedic collection. Comparable only in collection categories, not operating model.
• Musée d'art et d'histoire (MAH Geneva): Geneva's generalist art and history museum and direct local collaborator on GemGenève 2026. Overlaps with Baur on Far Eastern collections but serves a much broader curatorial mandate.

Regional players

• Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo National Museums): Japan's flagship national museum with major holdings of Chinese and Japanese art relevant to Baur's collection categories. Functions primarily as a regional/institutional peer for scholarly collaboration and artifact provenance research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fondationbaur
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondation_baur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondationbaur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient