five
days in Paris
visit parcours des mondes
a story in images
pictures and text by David Norden
First the Vérité...
1,9
M€ à une divinité Nimba Baga de Guinée (lot 159)
Three Shiwara's
in a row
Alain de Monbrison
perfectly orchestred this event that became the biggest African Art auction ever
with 44 Million euros sold costs included.
If you have a fast connection you can download the 55MB pdf catalogue
and the result
list
15.000 people visited Drouot in two days to see the
perfectly presented 514 object!
Even
if it had some native restorations I liked very much a Ligbi
mask lot 64, it sold for 58.000 €
.... Then Branly
On
tuesday morning Chirac inaugurate the Branly museum in presence of Australian
artists, Mr Koffy Annan, Claude Lévi-Strauss, etc.. He held an inaugural
speach.
A
happy Jean Nouvel-the architecte of the Quai Branly- in front of the glass wall quai Branly. (photo David Norden)
This
is how the Shiwara are on view in the Branly Museum
Friday
the entrance was free so I thought I will go back to see how people react, but
when I arrived it was a madhouse, the Museum was surrounded. The official day of
the inauguration you had to wait 3 hours to visit the quai Branly. That day 9000
visitors got into the Museum. I was happy to have visited it on Tuesday.
Sotheby's auction
They did quite well, and sold for 9M €

This huge Urhobo is welcoming the visitors invited at the
Sotheby's reception, it sold for 1,000.000 € without costs.
A Belgian dealer paid 850,000 euros without costs for this fine Bangwa in the
same auction.
An African interviewed at Sothebys,
the Songye nr 110 in his back sold for 290.000€ without costs
Gallery's in Paris
Most dealers had quite
interesting exhibitions
Un défilé de Mumuyes chez la Galerie
Flak rue des Beaux-arts, avec un catalogue bien interessant par écrit par
Neyt.

African
Muse Gallery gave a party in presence of John Mawurndjul the Aboriginal
artist who painted a roof at the Branly Museum