Tribal Art at Sotheby's

The next sale of tribal art at Sotheby’s willbhonor the great collectors and dealers of the first half of the twentieth century, a seminal period in the history of the appreciation of tribal art in the West, as many of the offerings on December 11 will include so many objects that passed through their hands. The highlight of the auction will undoubtedly be a Fang reliquary figure from Gabon that belonged to Georges de Miré. Another Gabonese reliquary guardian figure, this one of Kota origin and with a prestigious provenance, will also be offered. Previews of the sale will be held on December 6–10.

View the online catalogue.

Reliquary figure  -  Fang, Gabon

Chief's adze  -  Maori, New Zealand

Figure  -  Ifugao, Philippines

Ivory sceptres  -  Kongo, D.R. Congo

Images courtesy of Sotheby's

African and Oceanic Art at Christie's

On December 10, Christie’s Paris will hold a sale of 114 African and Oceanic works. Among the finely curated lots will be a large Dogon figure from Mali dating to the fifteenth century. Two Punu masks, one white and the other black, will also be offered and will be the subject of a lecture by Louis Perrois on Monday, December 9. Viewings for the sale will be held on December 7 & 9.

View the online catalogue.

Standing figure  -  Dogon, Mali

Temple bust  -  Fiji

Staff finial  -  Kongo, D.R. Congo

Images courtesy of Christie's

Native American Art Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams will present a sale of fine Native American art and artifacts in San Francisco on December 9. The lots will include a range of works from traditional cultures across North America, one of the major highlights of which is an exquisite Okvik ivory head (pictured below).

View the online catalogue.

Ivory head  -  Okvik culture, Alaska  -  200 BCE–100 CE

Image courtesy of Bonhams

Tribal Art Sale at Zemanek-Munster

Auctioneers Zemanek-Münster of Würzburg will present their 75th sale of tribal art on November 30.  The extensive array of lots will include fine works from across the world, spanning traditional carvings from Africa, Oceania, Indonesia, Asia, and elsewhere.

View the online catalogue.

Image courtesy of Zemanek-Münster

Memoires religieuses Baga

The Musée Barbier-Mueller in Geneva is presenting Mémoires Religieuses, Baga (Religious Memories, Baga) from October 17, 2013, through March 30, 2014, and will shed light on the cultural practices of a people divided between tradition and modernity. The exhibition reveals many other types of Baga objects, as well as objects from associated groups like the Nalu, Landuman, and Susu. These include helmet and face masks, altar masks, crests, drums, and statues, all testimonies to artistic traditions that became extinct in the 1950s. Nonetheless, Baga culture has not disappeared. While they are not as overtly evident as they used to be, the ancient beliefs remain strong and deeply rooted.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

Image courtesy of the Musée Barbier-Mueller

Secrets d'Ivoire, l'art des Lega d'Afrique centrale

The exhibition Secrets d'Ivoire, l'art des Lega d'Afrique centrale (Secrets of Ivory, The Art of the Lega of Central Africa) presents many masterpieces of Lega art, one of the most important artistic traditions of central Africa. Held in the Jay T. Last collection of the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, these works are now being shown for the first time in Europe. Passionate about Africa and African art, Jay T. Last started to build an impressive collection some forty years ago that had Lega art as its focus. He is donating more than 240 wood and ivory sculptures to the Fowler Museum that are now on view at the Musée du Quai Branly.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

Images courtesy of the Musée du Quai Branly

American Indian and Ethnographic Art at Skinner

Skinner will present a sale of fine Native American antiques and other traditional art in Boston today, November 9.  Among the lots will be a wide range of exquisite North American items from the Southwest to the Woodlands, as well as Maori carvings from New Zealand, figurative ceramics from ancient Mexico, and much more.

View the online catalogue.

Totem pole attributed to John Cross  -  Haida, Northwest Coast

Door lintel panel  -  Maori, New Zealand

Belt cup with portrait carving  -  Northeast

Images courtesy of Skinner Auction

The Allan Stone Collection at Sotheby's

On November 15, 2013, Sotheby’s will present The Collection of Allan Stone: African, Oceanic, and Indonesian Art—Volume One, the first of two sales of the tribal art collection of the legendary New York art dealer. A second sale of equal size will be held in November 2014. Sotheby’s believes that this is the most significant African and Oceanic art collection to be offered in New York since the Helena Rubinstein auction in 1966. Many of the works to be offered have been included in publications and museum exhibitions. A small selection from the collection was the subject of the 2011 exhibition Power Incarnate: Allan Stone’s Collection of Sculpture from the Congo at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Among the highlights of the collection is an exceptional group of Songye power figures and Kongo nail figures from the Democratic Republic of the Congo—two of the most iconic genres of African art.

View the online catalogue.

Power figure  -  Kongo/Yombe, D. R. Congo

Warrior mask  -  Kuba, D.R. Congo

Kifwebe mask  -  Songye, D. R. Congo

Power figure  -  Songye, D. R. Congo

Power figure  -  Songye, D. R. Congo

Power figure  -  Songye, D. R. Congo

Images courtesy of Sotheby's

Tribal Art Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams will present an autumn sale of fine African, Oceanic and pre-Columbian art on November 14. The show's major highlight - among the range of other exquisite offerings - is a magnificent Baga shoulder mask representing a beautiful mother from Guinea, estimated between $400,000–600,000.

View the online catalogue

Image courtesy of Bonhams

Madison Ancient and Tribal Art 2013

Madison Ancient and Tribal Art will be held this month at New York City's Arader Gallery from November 13–16. MATA is an alliance of International dealers specializing in the art of traditional cultures, among them such highly regarded names as Marc Assayag, Kellim Brown, Bruce Frank, Jacaranda, Charles Moreau, James Stephenson, Tamabaran Gallery and Pace Primitive. The Fall MATA exhibit will run concurrently with the exhibition and sale of the Allan Stone collection of African, Oceanic and Indonesian art at Sotheby's, and the auction of fine tribal art at Bonhams. 

Jacaranda Tribal will present a range of antique tribal works from cultures across the globe, from gorgeous Hawaiian fish hooks to Congolese power figures.

For more information, please visit the official MATA website.