Zemanek-Münster Tribal Arts Auction Results

The bi-annual Zemanek-Münster tribal arts auction failed to attract the attention it has become accustomed to. Despite a few major pieces, the quality of objects up for auction this March was generally weaker than we have seen at this auction house in the past. With fewer very fine or museum-quality pieces, the auction house failed to sell a majority of the works.

Only 161 (or 36%) of the 448 pieces sold at the live auction. None of the three pieces that we profiled in our last post about the Zemanek auction sold and all are still available at the auction’s after-sale. A vast majority of the sold lots had a hammer price of €2,000 or below, and many lots sold for fewer than €1,000.

To some extent this drop in quality can be attributed to the general downturn in the world economy. Few collectors are willing to consign their works for auction as the chances of having a work “burned” (or go unsold at auction) are increased. With less access to museum-quality or very fine pieces, the auction quality as a whole has been hurt.

There were just a few notable exceptions:

Lot 125, a standing male ancestor figure called a “Blolo Bian” sold for €22,000. The types of pieces are private sculptures that would have been kept in a sleeping chamber and would have received sacrificial offerings.

Lot 224, a Headdress from Igbo, Nigeria sold for €10,000. The piece is a “gentle "ekpe" ancestor headdress” which is identified by its calm, small-featured face. These types of headdresses are thought to represent the wives of the fierce elephant and monkey spirits.

In both these cases, the quality was of a higher standard than seen across the board at this auction. In a better economic time, there would have been more and better pieces like these. While we are still looking forward to the results of the after-sale which, in poor economic times, may fare as well as a live auction.

Dori Rootenberg

www.JacarandaTribal.com