"Saga Africa"
“Paris is the world capital of the first arts: besides the Musée du Quai Branly, the only institution of its kind in the world, there are the most famous galleries and the most prestigious auctions. Negro arts, then wild arts, then primitive arts, then primitive arts, the tribal arts attract a public more and more numerous, more and more affluent. As a result, prices continue to climb, reaching six-digit highs. Examples with the June auction.Precursors, Picasso or Breton knew how to discern the power released by what was then called black art, sold a few cents by former colonials. Today, the most prestigious objects exceed one million euros! This international enthusiasm is supported by rich contemporary art lovers who buy African pieces in addition to their paintings, at one twentieth of the price of a work by Jeff Koons or Zhang Xiogang. What to make fly even more the prices. It is no longer a fad, it is a mature market, and sometimes even speculative.African art, very complex, requires solid knowledge, because each object has a specific role, most often to establish a link with the spirits. More than its aestheticism - a Western appreciation - it is its use that determines its value. It may be an Ashanti doll from Ghana to protect a pregnant woman, a Yombé Congo fetish pierced with rusty nails, just to spurn evil, a Kota reliquary from Gabon carrying a basket of ancestor bones. Each ethnic group has its animist rites and its own statuary: Japanese masks for the Punus of Gabon, characters with raised hands imploring the rain for the Dogons of Mali, faces scarification finely chiselled for the Baoulé of Ivory Coast. Finally, on the spot, the object being handled without care, it is sometimes damaged and covered with a patina of use, with summary repairs. These are the characteristics that authenticate a piece of African art: the specialists then say that it is "good . "Only such authentication gives value. Problem, it happens that some merchants expert (who also hold auctions) authenticate sometimes questionable parts.Complex understanding, fashionable product, price explosion: everything is reunited for the market to be flooded with counterfeits and there are fake ones even in museums. Vigilance is essential. This is why the amateurs dwell on the pedigree: if the name of the collector and / or that of a big collector is known, the value of the object can double.Paris is the world capital of the first arts: besides the Musée du Quai Branly, the only institution of its kind in the world, there are the most famous galleries and the most prestigious auctions. On the 11th and 12th of June, Christie's and Sotheby's are organizing very high-performance auctions with six-figure auctions, for example two Fang reliquary figures (600,000 euros ... each), Kota statues (250,000 euros ... piece) or a Dan mask (120,000 euros) (photos), a Igala crest (300,000 euros), a Lwalu mask (180,000 euros), a Gueré mask (180,000 euros). (Barely) Less expensive, a Baoulé mask (70,000 euros), a Hemba statue (60,000 euros), a Dogon trough (30,000 euros), a Vili fetish (30,000 euros) ...Rather than trying to buy an exceptional piece of equipment that is obviously expensive, it is wise to limit oneself, as a first step, to everyday objects. We find spoons, loom pulleys, jugs, seats, weapons, jewelry, combs, fans etc. ... good level from 150 euros, but already the most beautiful pieces exceed 10,000 euros. The sale of the Rive Gauche Auction on the 13th of june proposes some of these more accessible objects: a Bamikelé stool for 500 euros, a sculpted Dan spoon for 750 euros, a Igala crenellated ceremonial dish for 1,000 euros.”
See the catalogs on: June 11, www.christies.com June 12, www.sothebys.com On June 13th, www.encheresrivegauche.auction.fr
https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/jerome-stern/arts-premiers-encheres_b_1562718.html?utm_hp_ref=fr-art-africain
