Auction
Calendar
Reviews
of
Auctions
and
Shows
LONDON
David
Sylvester,
who
died
in
2001,
was
a
well-known
art
critic
and
writer.
He
curated
more
than
thirty
exhibitions,
among
them
the
influential
Dada
and
Surrealism
Reviewed
of
1978.
One
of
his
greatest
achievements
was
the
catalogue
raisonné
of
Magritte,
completed
in
1997.
The
“Sylvester
look”
was
a
minimalist
mix
that
included
contemporary
paintings,
antiquities,
carpet
fragments,
and
Indian
sculpture.Tribal
art
more
than
held
its
own
in
this
company,
both
visually
and
in
the
high
prices
realized
in
the
sale
of
his
estate
at
Sotheby’s
London
onFebruary
26,
2002.
Among
the
tribal
lots
was
an
elegant
Andaman
Island
bow
that
reached
£9,500
(lot
28,
est.
£2,000-3,000).A
Yoruba
body
mask
was
also
bid
to
£9,500
(lot
47,
est.£3,500-4,500),
and
a
Dogon
ceremonial
trough,
acquired
from
Galerie
Louise
Leiris
in
Paris,
made
£24,000
(lot
119,
est.
£20,000-30,000).
There
was
strong
competition
for
all
three
of
Sylvester’s
African
masks.
Of
these
the
highest
price
was
reached
by
an
unusual
Yoruba
mask,
acquired
from
the
London
dealer
John
Hewett
in
1972,
which
made
£
60,000
(lot
29,
est.£20,000-30,000).Even
minor
tribal
objects
benefitted
from
the
“Sylvester
factor.”Thus
a
modest
Kuba
cloth
(lot
132)
made
an
astonishing
£2,200
against
an
estimate
of
£100-150.
This
was
an
outstandingly
successful
auction
for
Jean
Fritts
and
Jocelyne
Timm
of
Sotheby’s
and
raised
hopes
among
collectors
and
dealers
that
tribal
art
may
be
about
to
make
a
comeback
in
the
London
salerooms.The
sale
as
a
whole
realized
almost
£2.4
million
with
only
three
lots
left
unsold.
SAN
FRANCISCO
Butterfields
held
a
sale
of
Native
American,
Pre-Columbian,
and
Tribal
works
of
art
on
March
25
as
part
of
its
three-sale
Arts
of
the
West
week.
Of
the
more
than
400
lots
offered,
many
of
the
most
interesting
were
from
the
Dylan
Graeme
collection
and
formerly
in
the
collection
of
Wally
and
Brenda
Zollman.
This
included
the
bulk
of
the
auction's
top-selling
lots,
the
foremost
of
which
was
the
notable
Veracruz
double-faced
head
(lot
5054,
est.
$50,000-70,000),
which
sold
for
$74,375.
A
fine
Teotihuacan
mask
(lot
5058,
est.
$40,000-60,000)
brought
$46,375,
and
a
Mayan
limestone
stele
fragment
(lot
5109,
est.
$25,000-35,000)
sold
for
$37,750.
Approximately
75%
of
the
material
offered
sold,
for
a
combined
total
of
$1,018,578.
PARIS
The
highest
bids
for
Yves
Berger’s
Native
American
collection,
which
was
held
Monday,
April
15,
2002,
at
Richelieu
Drouot,
Millon
&
Associés
with
experts
André
Schoeller
and
Daniel
Dubois,
were
€75,000
and
€52,000
for
two
illustrated
books.
The
first
was
the
work
of
Thomas
L.
McKenney
and
James
Hall
(lot
19,
History
of
the
Indian
Tribes
of
North
America),
richly
illustrated
with
120
lithographs.
The
three
volumes,
published
between
1836
and
1844,
remain
the
only
record
of
the
gallery
of
portraits
of
great
Indian
chiefs
that
was
destroyed
by
fire
at
the
Smithsonian
in
1865.
The
second
book
reproduced
the
works
of
the
painter
George
Catlin
(lot
7,
Catlin’s
North
American
Indian
Portfolio),
published
in
1844.
This
sale
was
in
a
specialist
field
unusual
in
Paris,
since
it
focused
on
American
Indian
material.
It
realized
undeniable
success
and
had
active
participation
from
the
North
American
market.
A
ceremonial
Santee
Sioux
peace
pipe
(lot
13)
pushed
the
bidding
up
to
€15,000.
A
Blackfoot
feather
headdress
(lot
26)
shown
on
the
cover
of
the
catalogue
reached
€14,000.
Lot
41,
a
large
Kwakiutl
cedar
bowl,
reached
€23,000.
On
June
12,
Me.
Binoche,
with
the
expertise
of
Jacques
Blazy
at
Richelieu
Drouot,
presented
a
collection
of
Pre-Columbian
items.
Lot
152,
a
Teotihuacan
serpentine
mask
from
the
classical
period,
fetched
€42,000,
and
a
Veracruz
ceremonial
hacha
went
for
€21,000.
The
much-awaited
event
of
the
summer
in
Paris
was
the
sale
organized
by
Christie’s
on
June
15,
assisted
by
the
experts
Alain
de
Monbrison,
Pierre
Amrouche,
and
Jacques
Blazy.
The
sale
was
divided
into
two
parts,
each
with
its
own
catalogue.
It
once
again
confirmed
the
importance
of
Paris
as
a
viable
marketplace
for
tribal
art,
with
a
turnover
of
€7,442,702
generated
by
313
lots,
some
80%
of
the
lots
offered.
The
day
started
with
Pre-Columbian
art
and
an
outstanding
Maya
funerary
mask
from
Mexico
(lot
14)
went
for
€215,750.
In
Oceanic
art,
a
large
Maori
greenstone
hei
tiki
from
New
Zealand
(lot
236)
found
a
buyer
at
€182,750.
From
Africa,
a
rare
Ntsaye
Teke
mask
from
the
Congo
(lot
243)
fetched
€166,750,
a
touching
pair
of
Baule
ancestor
figures
from
Côte
d’Ivoire
(lot
247)
reached
€342,250,
and
a
Senufo
janiform
deble,
also
from
Côte
d’Ivoire
(lot
249),
reached
€424,750.
A
Leti
ancestor
figure
from
the
southern
Moluccas
in
Indonesia
(lot
251)
went
for
€160,750.
A
Mumuye
figure
from
Nigeria
(lot
252)
made
€237,750,
a
Guro-Bete
mask,
formerly
in
the
Paul
Guillaume
collection
(lot
255),
changed
hands
at
€138,750,
and
a
Luba
power
scepter
from
the
Congo
(lot
256)
went
for
€237,750.
The
sale
continued
into
the
evening
with
a
Paris
collection.
In
it,
a
Grebo
mask
from
Liberia
(lot
279)
went
for
€446,750,
a
Senufo
figure
from
Côte
d’Ivoire
(lot
297)
fetched
€391,750,
a
female
Lega
statue
from
the
Congo
(lot
298)
went
for
€116,750,
and
the
pre-Bembe
statue,
Congo
(lot
308),
took
the
highest
bid
at
€534,750.
On
16
June,
at
Enghein
near
Paris,
Mes.
Gautier,
Goxe,
and
Belaïsch,
with
Bernard
Dulon
and
Jacques
Blazy
as
experts,
auctioned
African
and
Pre-Columbian
works
of
art.
A
rare
Boa
figure
from
the
Congo
(lot
67)
sold
for
€60,000,
while
a
Kota
reliquary
figure
from
Gabon
with
a
unique
representation
of
a
small
stylized
copper
mask
on
the
back,
reached
€25,100
despite
the
fact
it
was
missing
its
lozenge-shaped
base.
Lot
51,
a
Luba
Shankadi
zoomorphic
neckrest,
went
for
€14,000.
NEW
YORK
Christie's
New
York
held
a
sale
of
American
Indian
Art
on
April
29
at
its
Rockefeller
Plaza
sale
room.
The
star
lot
of
the
day
was
a
Great
Lakes
hide
pouch
(lot
142)
said
to
have
been
acquired
at
the
close
of
the
Revolutionary
War
and
bearing
quilled
figures
representing
"the
Colonial
Army
advancing
in
battle
form
to
meet
the
British
army."
It
fell
short
of
its
$50,000-70,000
estimate,
selling
for
$47,800.
A
Seminole
beaded
sash
(lot
154,
est.
$15,000-20,000)
sold
for
$33,460,
and
a
Haida
polychrome
wood
clapper
in
the
form
of
a
killer
whale
(lot
179,
est.
$18,000-22,000)
was
purchased
for
$38,240.
Sixty-six
percent
of
the
lots
offered
found
new
owners,
for
a
sale
total
of
$744,425.
Sotheby's
New
York
held
a
combined
sale
of
the
arts
of
Africa,
Oceania,
and
the
Americas
on
May
17.
Attendance
was
moderate
but
at
times
there
was
spirited
bidding
between
the
floor
and
a
bank
of
telephone
bidders.
The
day’s
top
lot
was
a
rare
Fang
Reliquary
Guardian
Head
(lot
144,
est.
$175,000-225,000).
This
piece,
which
was
illustrated
in
Carl
Einstein's
Negerplastik
in
1915,
caused
quite
a
stir
when
it
emerged
after
half
a
century
in
a
private
collection
about
ten
years
ago,
although
it
failed
to
sell
publicly
when
it
was
offered
at
auction
at
the
time.
It
did
better
this
time
around,
finding
a
buyer
after
heated
bidding
at
$449,500.
A
pair
of
Cameroon
Fang-Beti
guardian
figures
once
in
the
collection
of
noted
watercolorist
Georg
Mayer-Pröger
(lot
138,
est.
$150,000-250,000)
were
bid
to
$200,000
by
two
telephone
bidders,
who
were
then
outbid
by
two
competitors
on
the
floor,
one
of
whom
finally
won
the
pieces
for
$306,500.
An
impeccably
provenanced
Kongo
oath-taking
and
healing
figure
(lot
50,
est.
$150,000-250,000)
sold,
after
slight
hesitation,
within
estimate
at
$202,000.
The
hammer
fell
on
a
powerful
Dan
mask
(lot
104)
carved
by
a
known
artist
at
its
high
estimate
of
$120,000,
making
a
final
price
of
$141,500
including
buyer's
premium
(which
was
recently
raised
to
19.5%
up
to
and
including
$100,000
and
10%
on
any
amount
in
excess
of
$100,000,
thanks
no
doubt
to
vigorous
anti-trust
prosecution
by
the
U.S.
Justice
Department).
In
all,
some
65%
of
the
351
lots
offered
found
buyers
for
a
total
of
$4,615,037,
up
some
fifty
lots
and
nearly
a
million
and
a
half
dollars
from
the
sale
last
autumn.
That
evening,
the
annual
New
York
International
Tribal
Antiques
Show
held
its
preview
opening
at
the
Seventh
Regiment
Armory
on
Park
Avenue.
Some
forty-four
dealers
participated
in
this
event,
which
was
open
regular
hours
over
the
following
three
days.
The
show
was
well-attended,
with
nearly
4,000
individuals
stopping
by
to
view
and
sometimes
purchase
the
artworks
on
display
there.
This
figure
is
comparable
to
last
year,
despite
the
fact
that
the
show
was
one
day
shorter
than
it
has
been
in
previous
years.
Dealers
reported
wildly
uneven
sales,
ranging
from
“phenomenal,”
with
one
having
to
reinstall
his
booth
three
times
to
compensate
for
sold
objects,
to
“worse
than
sluggish.”
Interestingly,
African,
Native
American,
and
Pre-Columbian
art
seemed
to
fare
better
overall
than
the
Oceanic
material
that
has
sold
so
strongly
in
recent
years.
BOSTON
The
Boston
auction
house
Skinner
held
a
sale
of
American
Indian
and
Ethnographic
art
at
its
sale
room
in
Bolton
on
May
11.
The
greatest
strength
of
the
475
lots
offered
was
Navajo
textiles,
and
bidders
ignored
the
published
estimates
to
obtain
them.
A
rare
man's
wearing
blanket
in
a
variant
second
phase
chief's
pattern
(lot
308,
est.
$15,000-20,000)
found
a
buyer
at
$58,750.
A
woman's
second
phase
blanket
(lot
303)
shot
past
its
high
estimate
of
$1,500
and
settled
at
a
lofty
$23,500.
Some
93%
of
the
lots
offered
sold,
for
a
sale
total
slightly
in
excess
of
$600,000.
BRUSSELS
The
twelfth
annual
BRUNEAF
vernissage,
held
from
June
11-16,
attracted
fifty
galleries
to
the
Grand
Sablon
in
Brussels.
As
eclectic
as
ever,
it
was
a
great
success.
Many
European
and
American
antique
dealers
were
there
and
it
is
impossible
to
sum
up
the
richness
and
diversity
of
the
event
in
a
few
lines.
Suffice
to
refer
to
the
catalogue,
128
pages
and
70
color
illustrations,
and
still
available
free
of
charge
(T./F.
:
32
2
5140209
-
info@bruneaf.com).
AMSTERDAM
The
first
part
(lots
1
à
190)
of
the
sale
held
on
July
2
by
Christie’s
Amsterdam
was
dedicated
to
the
collection
of
Baron
Freddy
Rolin
(1919-2001).
A
rare
skull
rack
from
the
Sepik
River
in
New
Guinea
(lot
67)
reached
59,750,
a
rare
drum
from
the
Torres
Strait
(lot
79)
realized
22,705,
a
mask
from
the
Yuat
River
region
of
New
Guinea
(lot
90)
changed
hands
for
26,290,
a
Maori
canoe
prow
from
New
Zealand
(lot
123)
attained
35,850,
and
a
moai
kavakava
figure
from
Easter
Island
(lot
126)
brought
in
33,460.
From
Africa,
a
Djenne
terracotta
female
figure
(lot
137)
sold
for
77,675,
a
Dogon
maternity
figure
from
Mali
(lot
168)
brought
19,120,
a
rare
Ibo
male
sculpture
from
Nigeria
(lot
215)
realized
53,775,
a
Dengese
figure
(lot
247)
achieved
33,460,
a
Songye
torso
from
the
Congo
(lot
262)
went
for
65,725,
and
a
Luba
drum,
also
from
the
Congo
(lot
285)
took
71,700.
A
Hemba/Luba
male
figure
(lot
292)
brought
33,460,
less
than
a
Luba
drum
supported
by
a
female
caryatid
that
appeared
on
the
catalogue
cover
(lot
296),
which
attained
77,675.
Finally,
two
Belanda
anthropomorphic
sculptures
from
Sudan,
(lots
314
and
315)
brought
respectively
45,410
and
50,190
All
in
all
the
day
was
a
success
with
a
sale
total
of
1,497,335.
UPCOMING
The
Fifth
International
Tribal
Art
Fair
will
be
held
in
the
extraordinary
setting
of
the
Hôtel
Dassault,
Paris,
Rond-Point
des
Champs-Elysées
on
September
18-22,
2002.
The
fair
has
become
a
major
event
and
the
organizers,
anxious
to
ensure
the
high
quality
of
the
exhibits,
have
decided
to
restrict
the
number
of
galleries
invited
to
Pierre
Dartevelle,
Wayne
Heathcote,
John
Giltsoff,
Kevin
Conru,
Didier
Claes,
Jo
de
Buck,
Lewis/Wara
Gallery,
Valluet-Ferrandin,
Galerie
Flak,
Maine
Durieu,
l’Accrosonge,
Johann
Levy,
and
a
few
others.
It
will
be
reorganized
on
two
levels
inside
the
building,
which
has
been
renovated
by
Jean-Michel
Willmotte.
This
approach
is
in
keeping
with
the
organizers’
desire
to
continue
the
positive
development
of
this
relatively
recent
fair,
the
diversity
of
which,
along
with
the
quality
of
the
works
for
sale
in
a
congenial
environment,
will
hopefully
delight
an
increasingly
numerous
group
of
attendees.
In
the
Saint
German
district
in
Paris,
there
will
be
a
walk
connecting
art
from
all
over
the
world
from
September
18-22.
It
will
link
up
galleries
specializing
in
African,
Oceanic,
Indonesian,
and
American
Indian
arts
by
taking
visitors
to
see
a
selection
of
objects,
sculptures,
and
masks
chosen
for
this
special
occasion.
The
circuit
will
start
in
rue
des
Beaux
Arts
with
Galeries
Meyer
and
Flak,
go
through
rue
de
Seine
and
rue
Visconti
to
see
Voyageurs
et
Curieux,
then
rue
Jacques
Callot
and
rue
Mazarine
for
Jacques
Barrère
and
Johann
Levy,
and
finally
to
rue
Guénégaud,
where
African
Muse
Gallery,
Lecomte,
Ferrandin-Valluet,
and
Vanuxem
are
located.
The
XXIe
Biennale
des
Antiquaires
will
be
held
in
Paris
from
September
20-29.
Located
in
the
Carrousel
du
Louvre
and
a
must
in
the
field,
this
event
will
have
a
larger
contribution
from
tribal
art
than
ever
before.
This
year
it
will
include
the
Paris
galleries
of
Alain
de
Monbrison,
Philippe
Ratton
and
Daniel
Hourdé,
Santo
Micali
and
Galerie
Mermoz,
the
London
gallery
of
Lance
Entwistle,
and
Philippe
Guimiot
from
Brussels.
This
will
be
a
major
event
because
these
dealers
have
great
resources
and
will
be
keen
to
present
a
fascinating
selection
of
objects
from
Oceania,
Africa,
and
Pre-Columbian
America.
For
the
first
time,
Berlin
is
holding
a
fair
dedicated
to
non-European
art:
Ars
Terra
Incognita
(Non-European
Antique
Art
&
Textiles
Fair),
from
November
8-10.
For
three
days
the
historical
center
of
the
German
capital
will
be
the
focus
of
all
eyes,
as
the
fair
will
be
held
in
the
building
of
the
Council
of
State
on
the
Schlossplatz,
not
far
from
the
museum
area.
Berlin
has
long
had
a
particular
relationship
with
non-European
cultures,
as
demonstrated
by
the
significant
collection
of
the
ethnological
museum
in
Berlin-Dahlem.
Some
fifty
European
and
American
dealers
will
be
exhibiting
at
this
major
event,
which
is
expected
to
be
a
great
success,
as
non-European
arts
have
neglected
by
the
city’s
noted
Art
Forum
Fair
for
many
years.
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