The Maison Moos, later called the Galerie Moos, was an art gallery and auction house founded in 1906 in Geneva by the art dealer Max Moos. The gallery closed in 1976.Le marché de l'art en Suisse du XIXe siècle à nos jours / éd. par Paul-André Jaccard et Sébastien Guex, Lausanne : Unil; Zurich : SIK ISEA, 2011
A distinction must be made between the Galerie Moos founded by Max Moos, the father, and the Galerie Georges Moos founded by his son in 1941, also in Geneva, which was closed in 1986. Several other art galleries have been established around the world by various members of the Moos family: in Karlsruhe, New York, Toronto, and Zurich.
History Between 1906 and 1976, the Maison Moos and later the Galerie Moos changed address several times.
1906 : Rue du Rhône 29 (Geneva)
Max Moos, founder of the Moos company (Geneva), was born in 1880 in Randegg in Baden Württemberg, Germany. Son of Heinrich Moos and Rosalie Bloch, he spent his childhood in Karlsruhe where his father ran a xylography and electroplating workshop for the postcard industry. He traveled to France and Spain, and then settled in Geneva in 1906. With his sister Hedwig Moos, he opened a store selling picture frames and illustrated postcards at 29 rue du Rhône, the same address as the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler.
From 1910 Moos focuses more on art dealing
1913 : Grand-Quai 10 (Geneva) In 1913 Max Moos opened an art gallery in new premises at the Place du Port, at Grand-Quai 10 (now Quai-Général-Guisan). He also obtained his Geneva citizenship. His letterhead becomes Gallery: Moos Geneva.
Exhibitions organised included (L'Espagne (ses peintres),Exposition l'Espagne (ses peintres) : œuvres de Castelucho, Fornerod, Gumery, Marin Ramos, Morerod, Ribera, Sala, Vasquez-Diaz : Galerie Moos Genève, du 1er au 31 août 1913 Paris (ses peintres), Max Buri, Ferdinand Hodler, Otto Vautier,Exposition Max Buri, Ferd. Hodler, Otto Vautier : Galerie Moos, Genève, du 1er au 30 novembre 1913L'exposition Hodler-Buri-Vautier à la Galerie Moos / C., In: ABC. - Genève. - 11-12 octobre 1913, ) (Cuno Amiet, Maurice Barraud, Giovanni Giacometti, Emile Bressler, Gustave Buchet, etc.) Moos published catalogsLucienne Florentin ou les ambivalences d'une critique d'art en Suisse romande / S. Pallini, In Histoire de l'art : bulletin de l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art , 44, Paris : INHA, 1999, and worked closely with a journalist art critic to promote the business.
The start of the First World War in 1914, caused artists to return to Switzerland from France. Le groupe du Falot was founded by the painter Maurice Barraud. The closure of the Musée Rath, which was used by the International Prisoners of War Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross, made Moos Gallery the leading place for contemporary art exhibitions in Geneva until 1921. The arrival of French refugees brought a new potential clientele to the gallery. In order to satisfy these new buyers, Max Moos diversified his offer by proposing, on a permanent basis, impressionist and post-impressionist works (Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, etc.) which he brought to Geneva thanks to his relations with several Parisian dealers. In 1916, in collaboration with Paul Vallotton, agent of the Paris gallery Bernheim-Jeune set up in Lausanne, presenting the Exposition de peinture française moderne. From 1915, the Moos Gallery had a virtual monopoly on the artistic production of the painter Ferdinand Hodler.
1917 : Rue du Marché 13 (Genève) En May 1918, Moos organised L'Exposition Ferdinand Hodler accompanied by a catalog printed in 3 000 copies, and authored by famous journalists Johannès Widmer, Carl-Albert Loosli et Lucienne Florentin. Moos assembled 281 works from his own collections and those of his most loyal clients and associates. He also solicited loans from private individuals, in particular Louis Gunzbürger, a great collector of Hodler's work, who provided him with practically his entire collection, i.e. 39 works, including 23 paintings.On annonce de Genève la mort, à l'âge de soixante-cinq ans, du peintre Ferdinand Hodler..., In : Journal des débats. - Paris. - 22 mai 1918, rubrique "Nécrologie", After Hodler's death, the exhibition became a retrospective and a huge success.
Starting in 1920, Moos gets into the auction business.
Malgré une programmation de concerts et d'expositions de qualité (Carlos Schwabe, Degas, Les Cubistes, etc.), la Galerie Moos dépense plus qu'elle ne vend et sera rattrapée par la crise économique de l'après-guerre. Le marché de l'art n'est plus favorable à Genève et le 2 décembre 1921, Max Moos et ses associés sont obligés de vendre l'immeuble de la rue du Marché à la société La Pharmacie Principale (Jean de Tolédo) et de liquider la galerie entre mars et avril 1922.A la Galerie Moos, In Journal de Genève. - Genève. - 28 février 1922, rubrique "Beaux-Arts",
1922 : Rue de la Boétie 14 (Paris) In March 1922, Max Moos moved to Paris to open a new gallery at 14 rue de la Boëtie, where the art market seemed to be flourishing. On this occasion, he presented an exhibition devoted to the painter Eugène Carrière and then inaugurated, some time later, an exhibition devoted to Laure Bruni. Little is known about this period of the gallery, except that Max Moos was seriously ill and that his Parisian partner took advantage of this to defraud him. The Parisian episode of the Moos Gallery did not last more than a year.
1927 : Quai du Mont-Blanc 31 et rue du Léman 3 (Genève)
In 1927 Max Moos opened a new gallery at 3 rue du Léman. He kept, however, the old address for the trade of "Antique Art", "Objets d'art" and "antique furniture". But it is in his new premises that he will propose numerous exhibitions of "Modern Art", contemporary Swiss and international art: the "School of Paris", Norwegian painting (prefaced by the painter E. Munch), Polish... He will also present an exhibition entitled 21 artists of the Italian Novecento sponsored by an impressive Honorary Committee chaired by Benito Mussolini.
In 1930, Max Moos embarked on a very ambitious commercial project that had the Swiss painter François Barraud as its workhorse. In order to promote the project, the journalist Lucienne Florentin was asked to write articles and a monograph on the artist and to organize a large François Barraud exhibition. A second exhibition took place in 1932 at the Galerie du Portique in Paris in collaboration with the Galerie Moos. The exhibition was a great success and Moos sold his paintings to his loyal customers as well as to new generations of collectors. The art critic Pierre Courthion see in François Barraud « le successeur de Hodler et Vallotton ».
Between 1927 and 1939, he specialized in organizing auctions. The most prestigious ones brought together up to 400 paintings, pieces of furniture and art objects. More than thirty auctions of Geneva, Swiss and international collections were held, including those belonging to Ernest Ponti, Paul ChavanTableaux anciens des écoles anglaise, française… suisse du au siècle : tableaux modernes, dessins et aquarelles œuvres de François Barraud… et 40 tableaux importants de Ferdinand Hodler provenant des collections de Feu M. Paul Chavan, Genève… et dont la vente aura lieu à Genève, Galerie Moos le 20 mars 1937 : par le ministère de Me Ch. D. Cosandier assisté par M. Max Moos and Johannes Widmer.Tableaux anciens des écoles allemande, flamande, française… suisse du au siècle… : tableaux modernes œuvres de Amiet, François Barraud… et 20 tableaux importants de Ferdinand Hodler provenant des collections de Feu M. le Dr Johannes Widmer, Genève et de M. le Prof. A. Strauss, Vienne… et dont la vente aura lieu à Genève, Galerie Moos le 30 octobre 1937 : par le ministère de Me Ch. D. Cosandier assisté par M. Max Moos
On May 19, 1938, twenty years after Ferdinand Hodler's death, Moos devoted a new retrospective exhibition to him titled 'Exposition Commémorative 1918-1928'''.
In 1939, a few days before the outbreak of the Second World War, Max Moos and his wife Fanny Moos went to New York for their daughter's wedding, but because of the world conflict, they did not return to Geneva until 1946. Several members of the Moos family, who remained in Europe, were victims of persecution and deportation by the Third Reich.
Until 1946, during the forced exile of his parents in New York, his son Georges Moos will take over the management of the Galerie Moos (Père). A few exhibitions were still held at Rue du Léman 3: the painter Paul Albert Mathey in 1940, Lucien Schwob in 1941 and the auction of furniture from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. MoosTableaux, aquarelles, dessins, objets d'art et d'ameublement, meubles anciens et de style, porcelaines, argenterie, étains, tapis, etc. provenant de la collection de M. et Mme. Max Moos, Genève, dont la vente aura lieu à Genève, Galerie Moos, 3, rue du Léman, le vendredi après-midi 6 décembre 1940… et le samedi après-midi 7 décembre 1940… par le ministère de M. Ch. Cosandier to finance his parents' stay in the United States
Pendant son exil à New York, Moos continuera la promotion de sa collection, en organisant des expositions F. Barraud à la Knoedler Gallery,Exhibition of paintings by Francois Barraud, 1899-1934, New York : Knoedler & Co.'s Galleries, 14-26.10.1940 F. Hodler à la Durand-Ruel GalleriesPaintings by Ferdinand Hodler 1853 - 1918, New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, 1 - 31.5.1940 et au San Francisco De Young Museum (7-8 September 1940).
1946 : Quai du Mont-Blanc 31 (Geneva) On his return to Geneva in 1946, Moos terminated the lease of the Galerie du Léman 3. From 1950 on, he organized several more auctions, always faithful to Ferdinand Hodler; a last retrospective exhibition was held in 1958 for the 40th anniversary of the painter's death. Then the gallery owner gradually slowed down his activities. An invitation card still mentions a Pierre Jacques exhibition le 15 avril 1967, au quai du Mont Blanc 31. Les dernières expositions ont lieu à son domicile, les cartons d'invitation portent la mention : Chez Max Moos.
Max Moos died at age 97 on October 11, 1976 in Geneva and Galerie Moos closed for good in 1976.
Controversial sales A John Constable painting acquired by George Moos during World War II was later the object of a restitution claim by the Jaffé heirs, and several artworks listed on the German Lost Art Foundation website passed through Moos during the Nazi era.
Selected exhibits 1913 : Exposition l'Espagne (ses peintres) : œuvres de Castelucho, Fornerod, Gumery, Marin Ramos, Morerod, Ribera, Sala, Vasquez-Diaz : Galerie de tableaux modernes, Maison Moos, Grand-Quai 10, Genève 29, Rue du Rhône, du 1er au 31 août 1913
1913 : Exposition Max Buri, Ferdinand Hodler, Otto Vautier : Galerie Moos, Grand-Quai, 10, Genève, du 1er au 30 novembre 1913
1914 : Exposition Maurice Barraud, E. Bressler, G. François : [Galerie Moos, 10 Rue Grand Quai, Genève], du 15 janvier au 15 février
1914 : Exposition Cuno Amiet, James Vibert : du 2 mars au 31 mars..., [Galerie Moos, 10, Grand Quai, Genève] : [catalogue] / [L. Florentin]
1916 : Exposition Maurice Barraud : Galerie Moos, 10 Rue Grand Quai, Genève, vernissage 18 avril 1916
1916 : Exposition de peinture française : catalogue, Galerie Moos, 10 Grand Quai, Genève, du 15 juin au 31 juillet 1916
1918 : Exposition suisse des beaux-arts : Galerie Moos, Genève, Rue du Marché, 13, du 22 janvier au 28 février 1918
1918 : Giovanni Giacometti, Otto Vautier, Maurice Sarkissoff : expositions, Galerie Moos, 13, Rue du Marché, 13, Genève, du 9 avril au 8 mai 1918
1918 : Exposition Ferdinand Hodler : 11 mai - 30 juin 1918, Galerie Moos, [13 Rue du Marché], Genève
1919 : Expositions Degas, A. Apol, Edmond Bille, E. Geiger, Ph. Robert, Aug. Sartori, Otto Vautier : Galerie Moos, 13, Rue du Marché, 13, Genève, du 10 avril au 8 mai 1919