The Collectors: Emmanuel de Bayser

Born into a world of collectors, artists, and art dealers, Emmanuel de Bayser grew up surrounded by 17th- and 18th-century paintings and furnishings, as well as the Old Masters drawings seen in his family’s Galerie de Bayser in Paris. However, when de Bayser started to collect on his own, he gravitated toward 20th-century design, particularly the work of American talents such as Charles Eames and George Nelson. “For us in France, it was completely new, and I liked it,” says de Bayser, who helms the Berlin fashion and home concept store The Corner.

As his taste evolved, de Bayser sought out pieces by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Pol Chambost, and Georges Jouve, acquiring the latter’s ceramics from a range of periods, with a strong affinity for examples in a sultry gunmetal black. “What I like about Jouve is you have this timeless perfection, but there is always something a little bit off, which is the human touch,” says de Bayser, who now owns around 100 objects by the ceramist, including lamps, sculptures, and mirrors.

Learning curve: “The first Jouve piece I bought was a black pitcher. It was amazing because it was round and had these very precise lines. I immediately fell in love with it, although I didn’t really know about ceramics and the artist at the time.”

Collecting philosophy: “That’s the great thing about living with your passion—the money is not in the bank; the money is with you every day. It’s a real joy to live with the objects you love”

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Late Fall Issue in the section “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.