Thema Sablon 4

Thema Sablon began its fourth installment in the Sablon arts district of Brussels yesterday and will continue through November 29. This exciting tribal art event comprises some twenty-five thematic exhibitions by a host of distinguished dealers, such as Didier Claes, Kevin Conru, Jo de Buck, Patrick Mestdagh, Serge Schoffel, and many more.

For more information, visit Thema's official Facebook page.

Native American Art Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams will present a large sale of Native American art and artifacts in San Francisco on December 8. Among the hundreds of lots will be a wide range of Southwest figures, jewelry, and basketry, as well as a selection of Spanish Colonial works. A few of the sale's highlights, pictured below, are a monumental Apache olla, a fine Northwest Coast chilkat blanket, and a rare Mojave cradle figure.

View the online catalogue.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

African, Oceanic and North American Art Sale at Christie's

On December 11, Christie's will present a sale of fine tribal art and artifacts in Paris. The lots will comprise a wide range of beautiful works from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Central and West Africa, and elsewhere.

View the online catalogue.

Dance headdress  -  Tsimshian or Haisla, Northwest Coast

Hook figure  -  Iatmul, Papua New Guinea

Ceremonial adze  -  Maori, New Zealand

Kifwebe mask  -  Luba, D.R. Congo

Lime spatula  -  Massim, Papua New Guinea

Deble figure  -  Senufo, Côte d'Ivoire

Images courtesy of Christie's

Les Affinités Électives d'Alexis Bonew at Sotheby's

On December 10, Sotheby's will present the African art collection of Alexis Bonew in Paris. Composed in an epic manner, this collection of art from the Congo reveals the work of a humanist spirit, a lover of ancient civilisations, ancient languages, Classical and African culture; a man whose appreciation for beauty consisted as much of philosophy and science as of feeling.

View the online catalogue.

Power figure  -  Songye, D.R. Congo

Muminia mask  -  Lega, D.R. Congo

Cannabis mortar  -  Luluwa, D. R. Congo

Ivory figure  -  Lega, D.R. Congo

Power figure  -  Kongo, D.R. Congo

Images courtesy of Sotheby's

Madagascar, la Civilisation du Zébu

As part of its Sculptures et Objets du Bout du Monde (Sculptures and Objects from the Ends of the Earth) exhibition series, the Cultural Service of the town of Orvault, in collaboration with Jean-Yves Coué, will present Madagascar, la Civilisation du Zébu from October 31–December 7. This exhibition, which will be held at the Château de la Gobinière, will be an homage to the creative talents of the artists of the "Red Island," or Madagascar. The many different kinds of works on display will share a common thread, that being a direct or indirect reference to the zébu, or omby. A vital symbol in the local culture, this humpbacked bovine is not only a source of food but also a symbol of prosperity, which makes it the focus of any number of ceremonial contexts.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

L'éclat des ombres

The Radiance of Shadows: Black and White Art of the Solomon Islands will open at the Musée du quai Branly on November 18. Luminosity and iridescence are omnipresent in the maritime environment of the Solomon Islands, a Pacific archipelago of more than 900 islands that harbors vast cultural diversity. The natural contrast of light and dark there is often associated with the “Shadows,” the powerful spirits of the dead. By reproducing the visual effects of their environment in art objects, the living seek to give material expression to the relations they enjoy with these supernatural beings, and through these remarkable objects, the presence of ancestors manifests itself to help men achieve success in their enterprises, whether building a house for the chief or a canoe to sail the seas. Objects relating to headhunting, fishing, harvest, initiation, marriage, funerary rites, and so on are all rooted in this aesthetic.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

Images courtesy of the Musée du Quai Branly

African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art at Bonhams

On November 12 Bonhams will present a large sale of tribal art, comprising a wide array of ancient Mexican stone and ceramic works and a multitude of items from Africa and the South Pacific. Highlighting the sale is a rare Aztec image of the deity Xochipilli-Macuilxochitl, pictured below.

For more information, view the online catalogue.

Image of Xochipilli-Macuilxochitl  -  Aztec, Mexico  -  Postclassic, ca AD 1450–1521

Image courtesy of Bonhams

The Myron Kunin Collection at Sotheby's

On November 11 in New York, Sotheby's will put before the bidders the remarkable collection of Myron Kunin (1928 – 2013), who amassed one of the finest private assemblages of African art in the world. The collection includes masterpieces from all regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and is particularly strong in works of great refinement and classical beauty originating from Ivory Coast, Gabon, and the Congo. 

View the online catalogue.

Maternity  -  Kongo-Yombe, D.R. Congo

Janus-headed power figure  -  Songye, D.R. Congo

Female figure  -  Senufo, Côte d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso

Reliquary head  -  Fang-Betsi, Gabon

Images courtesy of Sotheby's