Antonin Personnaz (1855-1937) was born into a family of Sephardic origin that had settled in Bayonne at the beginning of the 19th century. His father's company, Personnaz and Garden, was dedicated to the fabric trade and they had to move to Paris to continue growing. During his youth Antonin helped his family in the family business, however, it was a family friend, Leon Bonnat, who introduced him to the world of art (Clark James, 1994). Antonin soon became a great collector. He acquired works by very diverse masters such as Jaume Huguet, the Master of Palanquinos, Degas or Toulouse-Lautrec, among others. He was also interested in photography, especially autochromy, and became a member of the Société française de photographie. He was also behind the creation of the Bonnat Museum in Bayonne and became its director. Throughout his life he donated his collection to different museums, mainly to the Bonnat Museum and the Louvre Museum (Clark James, 1994).
Bibliography
CLARK JAMES, Anne (1994): "Antonin Personnaz: Art Collector and Autochrome Pioneer", vol. 18, nº 2, History of Photography.