On Monday I returned to New York after a four day trip to San Francisco. The purpose of the trip was to attend the 2008 Tribal and Textile Arts Show.
The Gala Preview opening night of the show was well attended. Before the show, there was a certain amount of trepidation among the 108 dealers in attendance about the economy and the potential impact on the show. The fears generally turned out to be unfounded and most dealers reported doing respectable to good business.
As far as southeast African art, there was a fair amount of material to be seen. Patrick and Ondine Mestdagh had a number of good pieces including a large Swazi shield (pictured above) and a rhino horn club ex Bonhams (both sold). Tribal Gathering had a number of fine east African objects. Ben Hunter of Tribal Hunter had some Tsonga neckrests and Jean-Baptiste Bacquart of London had a fine old Shona/Tsonga neckrest. Clive Loveless (pictured top), as usual, had one of the most aesthetically pleasing booths with some very fine material from Rwanda and Uganda.
I also attended an event at the de Young Museum for dealers and lenders of Tribal art. John Friede gave a few remarks and then led an trip upstairs to discuss some of his pieces in the permanent collection. The museum is always a treat - lots of new pieces were on display including a great Lulua figure and a powerful and exceptionally rare Nukuoro figure loaned by Ed and Mina Smith.
All in all, it was a great trip and I look forward to returning next year.
Daniel
JacarandaTribal.com
1 comment:
When you are considering African fabrics, take a look around at some of the variety that you will see. Batik, which uses wax to create some of the most beautifully intricate designs on bright vivid colors are a great way to add a little bit of color to your world, and you’ll find that many of these designs are influenced by tribal motifs. They are often hand-dyed, giving them a lively mode color variation and offering a one of a kind piece of art no matter what you intend to use it for. Similarly, you’ll find that they are often created in small pieces, usually no more than two and four yards, and that they are perfect for decoration.
Post a Comment