Laurent JARRY
FREE-REED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, ACCORDIONS
Return to Experts
Bandoneon (detail) - © Laurent Jarry, Montreuil
The Expert
" Expertise requires long-term dedication. First and foremost, it requires a gift: that of visual memory. One must acquire a solid technical and historical culture... Firstly, the expert must be 100% convinced; secondly, one must have the humility to admit to not knowing. " Étienne Vatelot, a French luthier and world-renowned expert, thus presented his vision of an expert's work in an interview published twenty years ago (Le Courrier des Métiers d’Art, No. 170, April 1998). This approach is that of Laurent Jarry, a restorer and expert in the field of instrument making, certified by the UFE since 2001 in the specialty of metal free-reed musical instruments, and more specifically for accordions, bandoneons, and concertinas. Laurent Jarry built his expertise over thirty years of repairing and restoring several thousand of these instruments in the artisanal workshop-boutique "La boite d’accordéon," which he founded in 1989. A Master Craftsman in Art Trades since 2005, his workshop has been awarded the EPV label (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant - Living Heritage Company) since 2006. In parallel, he has compiled an extensive collection of documentation. Laurent Jarry relies on his visual memory to compare and link the instruments he encounters with his memories, notes, and historical research. Curiosity and passion lead him to constantly deepen his research, particularly when he discovers a new instrument and is led to humbly admit that he does not know. His varied sources complement each other: books, theses, dissertations, research, and information sharing with other specialists worldwide, research and analysis of patents, antique catalogs, meetings with collectors, and visits to exhibitions and museum collections. In Trésors de lames, Accordéons – Bandonéons, a work published in 2014 by Le Livre d’art, Laurent Jarry wished to share the discovery of some of the most beautiful instruments he has had the chance to see during his career. This art book presents over 200 accordions and bandoneons, unique or rare, chosen for their beauty, the richness of their materials, the originality of their craftsmanship, and their diversity. The book is enriched with archival documents, punctuated by various quotes and original texts written by personalities from the artistic world. « According to Étienne Vatelot in the Courrier des Métiers d’Art, the activities of a luthier can be fourfold: creation, restoration, adjustment, and expertise. » Laurent Jarry's restoration and expertise professions have thus nourished one another. Just as empirical knowledge and scientific knowledge are complementary, historical knowledge and technical knowledge are, for him, intimately linked and inseparable. This complementarity allows him to offer appraisal services to individuals and professionals such as insurance companies, auctioneers, dealers, notaries, and for legal cases. Conducting an appraisal requires seeing the instrument to assess its condition, particularly the internal state, which allows for the definition of a real and serious market value if necessary; this is why it is not possible to provide an estimate for an instrument over the phone or from a photograph.Bibliography
Publication "Trésors de lames. Accordéons et Bandonéons" - Foreword by Pierre Étaix - Éditions Le livre d’art, Paris 2014.
Contact
Laurent JARRY
8 rue du Sergent Bobillot
93100 Montreuil
+33 (0)1 48 58 63 97
contact@laboitedaccordeon.fr
www.laboitedaccordeon.fr
[UFE number : 417]
