Edutainment > Robert O. Muller (1911-2003) - two years later

Fishermen Going Home
by Gesso Yoshimoto 1881-1936

Two years after the death of Robert O. Muller on April 10, 2003, this little essay tries to give a wrap-up of events and publications on this outstanding art collector and dealer who had amassed the largest collection of late 19th century/20th century Japanese art prints that the world has ever seen.

What is the Muller Collection?

Robert O. Muller made his first encounters with Japanese prints in the 1930s as a young student in New York. In 1940 he went on a print shopping tour to Japan with his bride Inge. At the dawn of the Pacific War, Muller could buy for very cheap prices. He met major publishers like Watanabe Shozaburo and some artists like Hiroshi Yoshida, and bought huge quantities of mostly shin hanga.

After the end of world war II, Muller continued to deal in Japanese prints. But he was also an avid collector with a keen eye for good art. Although the "Robert O. Muller Collection" is best known for shin hanga, "Bob" also collected late nineteenth century prints and good reproductions of famous Edo masters. And last but not least, the collection contained some of the finest Japanese scroll paintings.

When Robert O. Muller died on April 10, 2003, he had left the largest and finest collection of Japanese prints that the world has ever seen. His death and the question what would happen to the "collection", was THE major topic among the friends of Japanese art and art dealers.

Exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution

Two Ducks and the Moon
by Koson Ohara 1877-1945

A sigh of relief went through the art world when the press reported that the core of the collection of more than 4,500 prints, paintings and a large archive of documents had been bequeathed by Muller's heirs to a museum - the renowned Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.

From November 6, 2004 until January 2, 2005 the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery exhibited a first part of the collection with approximately 150 prints at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.:

"Dream Worlds: Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings from the Robert O. Muller Collection"

To our information the museum plans to exhibit the collection by and by in "small pieces" at a roughly annual rhythm.

Exhibition Catalog

The exhibition was accompanied by a book and official catalog published by Kit Publishing/Hotei Publishing. artelino wrote a short review of the book titled Printed to Perfection.

"The Passionate Quest for Perfection"

Tsukagoshi Shrine
by Hiroaki Takahashi 1871-1945

The book contains an article - The Passionate Quest for Perfection written by Joan B. Mirviss. It is the best and most detailed information about the life of Robert O. Muller and the story of his collection that we know. Joan B. Mirviss, a dealer in Japanese art, museum curator and lecturer, has known the Muller family for more than 25 years. She played a pivotal role in the bequest of the core collection to the Smithsonian Institution/ Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. And she was designated by the Muller family with the sale of the "rest" of the collection.

"The family of Robert O. Muller has designated Joan B. Mirviss, Ltd. to be the exclusive agent for the sale of the duplicate prints and the extraordinary collection of paintings. As a close friend and advisor for over twenty-five years, Joan has assisted with the selection and acquisition of many of the paintings in the collection. In 1997, she also first introduced Bob Muller to the Sackler Gallery and its dedicated staff, keeping all parties active in the acquisition process that resulted in the bequest of the core print collection. It is therefore with great pleasure that we can now offer on-line selections from the Robert O. Muller collection of duplicate prints and paintings."
(original text from the homepage of Joan B. Mirviss)

For further information, take a look at the homepage of Joan B. Mirviss Ltd..

Muller Prints in the Market

Whirlpools at Naruto, recut edition
by Hiroshige Ando 1797-1858

Beginning in summer 2003, the part of the collection meant for commercial sale, came into the market - either silently or with a spectacular bang. In November 2003 our US competitor Asian Collection Internet Auction, owned and managed by Paul and Janiece Knutson, held a large auction exclusively for prints from the estate of Robert O. Muller. And artelino followed a few days later. Since then, artelino and the Knutsons have held several more exclusive "Muller auctions".

The two online auction sites may be the more spectacular events, but they are not the only sources to buy prints from the estate of Robert O. Muller. Quite a few professional art galleries and dealers offer them. The provenance is not always mentioned.

We have often been asked if and how a print can be recognized as being from the "Muller Collection". There is no clear indicator like a collector stamp. However the prints have certain "qualities":

• As the prints had been stored professionally and had never been framed, their condition is usually flawless (with a few exceptions).
• Many of the prints bear a Made in Japan stamp on verso.
• The prints represent the personal taste of the collector and therefore have a certain "look and feel". Robert O. Muller simply had an excellent taste, a sharp eye for art and a sense for "perfection".

In a nutshell: When you deal long enough with "Muller prints" you get a certain "guts feeling". But this is it.

When the commercial part of the "Muller Collection" came into the market, concerns among dealers could be heard that the large number could cause prices to plummet - mainly shin hanga prints. We cannot confirm that this happened. In our view, in 2003 prices for many artists had been lower compared to a few years ago. This was probably more the result of structural changes in the market with the advancement of online sales.

Popular sites like artelino attract large numbers of new art buyers who would normally never have entered the door of a conventional gallery. Since ca. late 2004 we observe rising demand, and prices seem to pick up again.

Dieter and Yorie in April, 2005

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