David de Pury

Baron David de Pury (born David Pury; 19 January 1709 – 31 May 1786) was a banker, merchant, and philanthropist from Neuchâtel. His involvement in the triangular trade, particularly diamond and precious wood trading between Europe and South America, earned him a vast fortune. Pury became a major benefactor for his hometown, Neuchâtel, where he funded the construction of schools, hospitals, government buildings, and served as a patron of various local charities. He has become a controversial figure in the 21st-century for his connection to the Atlantic slave trade through his business endeavors in Latin America.

Biography David Pury was born into the Pury family on 19 January 1709 in Neuchâtel, in the Principality of Neuchâtel, an associate state of Switzerland (now a Swiss canton). He was the seventh of eight children of geographer and explorer Jean-Pierre Pury and Lucrèce Chaillet. Pury's mother came from a Neuchâtelois patrician family of magistrates, pastors and mercenaries.

In 1726, Pury moved to Marseille, France, where he pursued a commercial education with the merchant Isaac Tarteiron. His success as a businessman in the company led to him become a British subject. In 1736, Pury settled in Lisbon, Portugal, where he supported British influence. In 1785 he was made a baron by King Frederick II of Prussia, who was also Prince of Neuchâtel.

Legacy and controversy The Bronze statue of David de Pury in Neuchâtel, sculpted by David d'Angers, has been a source of debate in Switzerland. A portrait of Pury, painted by Thomas Hickey, hangs in the charter room in the town hall of Neuchâtel. The Collectif Pour La Mémoire stated in their petition, signed by over 2,000 people, that "the money inherited by David de Pury, at his death in 1786, was used to carry out a large number of works in the town of Neuchâtel but it was won by the blood of black people from Africa forced into slavery in the 18th century. It is our responsibility to challenge this legacy and refuse to allow anyone who has contributed to the suffering of more than 55,000 slaves to be seen as a benefactor." By 13 July 2020 the petition had been signed by over 2,500 people.

The petition was criticized by Nicolas de Pury, a member of the Pury family and elected representative of the Green Party to the General Council of Neuchâtel. Red paint, symbolizing blood of enslaved Africans, was smeared across the statue. An email was sent to ArcInfo by the group responsible titled A Monument for Those Resisting Colonialism, Not for Slavers. The statue was cleaned the following morning.

In 2021, the authorities in Neuchâtel opted to install a plaque and launched an artistic contest to create a work that interacted with the statue and its past. Mathias Pfund's sculpture Great in the Concrete, selected by an international jury, was unveiled in 2022. An audiovisual installation by Nathan Solioz was also projected for a month in front of the statue in 2024.