Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic What strikes me, and I’m sure other visitors, too, when looking at Tina Barney’s large family portraits — shot over 40 years and now on view at the Jeu de Paume in Paris — is the photographer’s fascination with intergenerational relationships. Quite a few of the faces in these intimate and occasionally disturbing pictures are familiar to me through personal friendships, work relations, or the society pages of magazines. They gaze at you and you feel obliged to respond. You are invited to step into the interiors depicted.As a lover of fine and decorative arts, my eye is naturally drawn to the detail of the interiors: a painting by Tiepolo, an American Chippendale chest, a Louis XV chest of drawers, chinaware and the occasional work of Modern art. Two or sometimes three generations of the same family are carefully staged by Barney within these settings, which hint at continuity in the values and lifestyles of American and European society, but also the seeds of change.It is now nearly 30 years since Barney started her body of work The Europeans, but the bonds and tensions between generations — between collector and inheritor — resonate today. Over the next 25 years, we will see the largest wealth transfer in history, with assets valued at up to $100tn passing from Baby Boomers to those born after 1980, notably the millennials and Generation Z so well represented in her series of photographs Youth. A recent survey by Swiss bank UBS and Art Basel found that about 90 per cent of wealthy collectors possess inherited works of art, and some of the youthful faces in Barney’s photographs are no doubt among them.Looking at the objects in these portraits, one question becomes immediate: will the younger generation continue with the traditions of their forebears? Do they want to maintain historic residences and live amid Baroque spaces filled with exquisite art and objects? Will the young red-haired girl captured in front of a vitrine full of Meissen figures — presumably bought by the same grandparents sitting in the background — eventually dispose of them?Very often, the change in lifestyle of the new generations has a direct influence on the way they inhabit the spaces at home. The rituals have changed dramatically and, with that, I feel that a certain elegance and style have vanished forever.The living habits of the young children portrayed by Barney have undeniably shifted: a desire for simpler lives at home or more freedom has paved the path to lighter, more open interiors; holiday habits have also been reimagined. I think back with some nostalgia to the villeggiatura, which lasted three, sometimes even four, months in the same family resort, now being replaced by numerous, sometimes frenetic, weekends, each time in a different place, promptly posted to the rest of the world on Instagram on the way home. The salons of Palazzo Labia or Palazzo Volpi in Venice or at the Hôtel Lambert in Paris will never again see the mythical thematic balls attended by the crème of the aristocracy and the finance world.A certain understatement, even in fashion, not necessarily synonymous with elegance, has replaced the glamour of the past. Do the authoritative and intimidating fathers immortalised in The Europeans still exist? Even the maids in aprons depicted by Barney have largely become a thing of the past, as the ways and needs of modern families and households have evolved.This story appears in the December 2024 issue of FT Wealth But, for some at the higher reaches of the aristocracy, the maintenance of historical traditions is a less of a choice and more of a profound duty. Members of the illustrious Doria Pamphilj family, who count Pope Innocent X among their number, have maintained Rome’s majestic 17th-century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and its collections, including masterpieces by Velázquez, Caravaggio and Titian, across the centuries. I was recently invited to the palazzo and have a huge admiration for how Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj — who, with his sister, inherited the palazzo in 2000 — has proudly overseen a beautiful and faithful renovation.Much like similar cases in the UK, both the building and its contents are considered national treasures that cannot be sold, relying on the careful stewardship of each successive generation. Chatsworth House magnificently preserves its grandeur with modern minimalist works of art, continuing the tradition whereby each generation adds its own layer of interests to those of the past.Then, there are others who seek a break from the past. Collections are split and dispersed for others to enjoy. They want to live with houses that are easier to maintain, houses that are less ornate or imposing, that are more minimal. Sometimes, the formidable figure of the parent or grandparent is so dominant that the children feel a need to depart, to create a collection — and a life — that reflects their own identity. A matter of personal taste, sometimes of revenge?But my impression today, perhaps biased, is that we are witnessing a renewed appreciation for more lavish, ornate, perhaps more meaningful, interiors after years of a minimalist dictatorship. Even young collectors are seduced by decoration. I’m sure one of the many reasons for Barney’s exhibition is that her works visually chime in some way with current fashions. I cannot recall how many maisons de mode have staged their shoots in historical settings with high ceilings and ornate boiseries.Once I challenged my three children: “What would you keep from my small collection when I pass away?” No reaction. I immediately responded: “Oh well, good! I will donate a few objects to the Victoria and Albert Museum.” A riot suddenly started! “That clock is mine!”I wonder what Barney thinks of this new trend. She said in 1995: “I want every single thing to be seen, the beauty of it all: the textures, the fabrics, the colours, the china, the furniture, the architecture.” As we enter the era of the so-called Great Wealth Transfer, it will be the passion and preferences of the heirs that will reshape the art and antiques market of the future — and, while their mores may have changed somewhat, those heirs Barney photographed seem to me to be looking ever more joyfully on their grandparents’ taste.Mario Tavella is chair of Sotheby’s Europe ‘Tina Barney: Family Ties’ runs at the Jeu de Paume, Paris, to January 19. Her book of the same name is out now, published by Aperture/Atelier EXB
