Ethnographica & Tribal Art

The designated tribal art department at Woolley & Wallis (22% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury is now in its third year – and increasingly picking up consignments and regular buyers from well beyond its immediate hinterlands.

MADAM – I very much enjoyed your features on tribal art (ATG Nos 2306, 2307) in which two fairs, Tribal Art London and Parcours des Mondes, were previewed.

A collection of Maori artefacts with an unbroken provenance dating back to their acquisition by early English missionaries to New Zealand will be offered at John Nicholson’s of Fernhurst on October 5.

Louis Nierijnck is one of the exhibitors standing at the Tribal Art London fair from September 6-9. He specialises in tribal and ethnographic art, particularly art from Nepal and south-east Asia.

As France’s main tribal art showcase, the 'Parcours des Mondes', prepares for its latest staging ATG speaks to Pierre Moos, director of Tribal Art Management, organiser of the event. Moos outlines its origins, his role in its growth and how it has changed since its inception.

A well-established lynchpin of the Paris rentrée is the gallery-based, Left Bank tribal art fair known as the 'Parcours des Mondes' (PDM) staged in the small galleries that pepper the network of streets in the 6th arrondisement antiques district around Saint Germain des Prés.

Joss Graham specialises in ethnographic textiles and works of art and is taking part in 'Tribal Art London' in September.

Tribal Art London, the annual UK fair, seeks to raise the profile of this market in the capital.

The tribal art auction to be held at Drouot by Binoche et Giquello on June 22 features a mix of African and Oceanic artefacts and will include two lots that formerly belonged to the artist Tristran Tzara.

'Cultures – The World Arts Fair' is a gallery-based event staged every June in the antique-dealing district of Brussels known as The Sablon.

The Fine Art Society’s exhibition Gordon Reece: The Art of Collecting runs from May 23-June 16. It has been curated by Reece and presents African sculpture and artefacts from the former dealer’s collection alongside the FAS’s own 20th century art and design.

Tribal, non-European or ethnographic art has experienced a huge growth in both general and financial appreciation this century. This boost is partly due to the connections made between indigenous art and its influence on modern and contemporary artists.

While most tribal art events take place in major cities, the Bourgogne Tribal Show makes the most of its rural location.

Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst is well known for its Garden Statuary and Natural History sales. Now it is adding a new category to the portfolio.

Auctioneers and vendors are quickly discovering that Europe’s country houses, furnished with the routine period objects that no longer generate great excitement, can occasionally yield valuable souvenirs of a colonial past.

Any item of African tribal art dating before the 19th century counts as a rarity, but the sculpture to be offered by Christie’s in Paris on April 4 is remarkable not only for its age but also its quality and prestigious provenance.