Jean Claude Gandur
Jean Claude Gandur | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1949 Grasse, France |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist, art connoisseur |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Founder of Addax and Oryx Group, art collection and philanthropy |
Jean Claude Gandur (born 18 February 1949) is a Swiss entrepreneur, philanthropist, and art connoisseur originally from France.
Early life
Gandur was born in Grasse, France, and spent his early years in Alexandria, Egypt before relocating to Switzerland at the age of twelve. He pursued studies in law and political science at the University of Lausanne and furthered his education in history at Pantheon-Sorbonne University.
Career
In 1976, Gandur began his professional journey with Philipp Brothers (later known as Phibro), dedicating eight years to its subsidiary based in Zug. He established the Addax and Oryx Group (AOG) in 1987, concentrating on oil extraction activities mainly in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Until its purchase by Sinopec Group in August 2009 for US$7.3 billion, he held the roles of chairman and CEO at Addax Petroleum.
Following this, Gandur developed Oryx Petroleum, which went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2013 and took part in developing significant oil reserves in Iraqi Kurdistan. By March 2015, his fortune was estimated at $2.1 billion. After a change in ownership, he stepped down from Oryx’s board in July 2020.
He has been honored as a Commander of the National Order of Benin, holds a diplomatic passport issued by Senegal, and represented the Republic of Congo as honorary consul in Geneva for a decade.
Art
In 2018, Gandur participated as a juror for the Marcel Duchamp Prize and contributed to global dialogues on art provenance through his role as an international collector. In January 2019, he joined other private patrons and governments in donating USD 75.5 million aimed at protecting cultural heritage sites located in Iraq and Mali.
Gandur Art Foundation
Jean Claude Gandur’s assemblage features one of the most extensive private collections of Egyptian antiquities, alongside artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. The Fondation Gandur pour l'Art also oversees his modern art holdings, focusing on post-war European paintings.
In March 2010, he allocated 20 million Swiss francs toward the renovation and enlargement of Geneva’s Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Geneva). His collection of post-war European paintings—ranked second largest worldwide—was displayed in 2011 at Geneva’s Musée Rath and Montpellier’s Musée Fabre, showcasing works by artists such as Pierre Soulages and Georges Mathieu.
Following a 2016 referendum that rejected Jean Nouvel’s proposed expansion for the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève, Gandur withdrew his support for the project. He then initiated a four-year competition to identify a city willing to host a new museum dedicated to housing his collection, committing approximately 30 million euros for an architecturally notable facility situated centrally within an urban environment. By late 2022, candidate cities included Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Annecy, Rouen, Fessenheim, Arles, and Caen. The shortlist narrowed to Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Caen, with Caen ultimately selected in May 2024 as the museum’s location.
Legal Affairs
Since 2009, Jean Claude Gandur has been involved in litigation with Vincent Mangeat, architect of the Villa Gandur located in Tannay, completed in 2006. Central to the dispute is damage caused to Gandur’s collection of antiquities due to a malfunctioning air-conditioning system.
In response to a critical piece published in the Geneva newspaper Le Courrier in 2015 concerning renovations at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Gandur initiated defamation lawsuits against the journalist involved. While the criminal defamation charges were dismissed in 2019, civil proceedings persisted. The Federal Supreme Court ruled in November 2021 that the article had tarnished Gandur’s reputation, mandating its removal and awarding him nearly 50,000 Swiss francs. Le Courrier appealed this decision to the European Court of Human Rights in 2022.
In 2022, Gandur filed legal complaints after uncovering potential falsification regarding the provenance of a Fayum mummy portrait he had acquired from the Pierre Bergé Foundation.
Private life
In 2015, Gandur made the move from London to Malta. He is divorced and is a father to one son, as well as a grandfather to three grandchildren.
Personal fortune
Gandur has been featured on the Forbes list of the globe's wealthiest individuals since 2008. By 2011, he was recognized as the seventh wealthiest person in Switzerland, with his net worth estimated at USD 2.1 billion in 2015.