Ethnographica & Tribal Art

Not only is industrious Derbyshire auction house Hansons about to launch its new saleroom down south, but it is also starting a new sale format building on the popular tribal art collecting scene.

While BRAFA understandably dominates much of the cultural headlines during this period, it is not the only show in town.

Paris’ status as a centre of the tribal art market was underscored this season with a brace of high prices in the field of Oceanic art.

A Sioux Indian beaded knife sheath from the Battle of Little Bighorn could be the highlight of Skinner’s sale of American Indian and Ethnographic art to be held on December 2 in Boston.

TEFAF Maastricht has added ‘TEFAF Tribal’ as a new category to its 2018 edition in a move that points to the ongoing strength of the tribal art market.

The currently vibrant market for Oceanic art was made plain to staff at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) of Fernhurst in February this year when a Maori putorino or bugle flute, estimated at £50-100, sold to French dealer for £140,000. Surely, similar good fortune would not be repeated any time soon?

The designated tribal art department at Woolley & Wallis (22% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury is now in its third year – and increasingly picking up consignments and regular buyers from well beyond its immediate hinterlands.

MADAM – I very much enjoyed your features on tribal art (ATG Nos 2306, 2307) in which two fairs, Tribal Art London and Parcours des Mondes, were previewed.

A collection of Maori artefacts with an unbroken provenance dating back to their acquisition by early English missionaries to New Zealand will be offered at John Nicholson’s of Fernhurst on October 5.

Louis Nierijnck is one of the exhibitors standing at the Tribal Art London fair from September 6-9. He specialises in tribal and ethnographic art, particularly art from Nepal and south-east Asia.

A well-established lynchpin of the Paris rentrée is the gallery-based, Left Bank tribal art fair known as the 'Parcours des Mondes' (PDM) staged in the small galleries that pepper the network of streets in the 6th arrondisement antiques district around Saint Germain des Prés.

As France’s main tribal art showcase, the 'Parcours des Mondes', prepares for its latest staging ATG speaks to Pierre Moos, director of Tribal Art Management, organiser of the event. Moos outlines its origins, his role in its growth and how it has changed since its inception.

Joss Graham specialises in ethnographic textiles and works of art and is taking part in 'Tribal Art London' in September.

Tribal Art London, the annual UK fair, seeks to raise the profile of this market in the capital.

The tribal art auction to be held at Drouot by Binoche et Giquello on June 22 features a mix of African and Oceanic artefacts and will include two lots that formerly belonged to the artist Tristran Tzara.