March07

African Antiques newsletter March 2007

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Dear $email,

Spring is back and I have found some good news for you related to African Art. More people are telling me everyday how much my research is invaluable to them, and supports me, so I was able to do some traveling and discovered some stunning new Museums and interesting news.

Collecting African Art today is like a Samurai Sword cutting on both edges. People need to buy in confidence, but still need to stay alert for unscrupulous dealers, who even find ways to work hand in hand with Museums as the Heidelberg story from this month shows once again.

The guarantee you buy a real African Antiquity from a seller in good condition, with a correct description and provenance, has to be backed up these days by the reputation of the seller. Since prices are getting up, you as a customer expect to be sure about what is offered to you. But when a Museum in Germany opens their exposition space to a dealer with a reputation of selling only copies and fakes and this exposition is also published in a beautifully bond book with very good photography, the collector is very mislead. This happened for two consecutive years in Heidelberg, and it's a shame, since this can strongly harm the confidence of the collectors, and is a burden both for the honest dealers, but also for the Museums who lose credit.

So I would say the director of this Museum should look for other work, such as cultivating flower-bulbs, it is honest work and you also get dirty hands!

Bruneaf, Brussels: from June 6th to 10th 2007

The Bruneaf Fair in Brussels changed its rules and organization to attract more customers.

Major Parisian dealers like Bernard Dulon already confirmed participation. Four experts have been named to check the quality of the pieces to be published in the catalogue, but will also check the objects exhibited by the participating galleries. Pieces will be vetted in a more independent way, besides the two Bruneaf members Didier Claes and Marc Leo Felix two non Bruneaf participating dealers/experts joined the team; Lucien van de Velde from Antwerp-Belgium, and Henricus Simonis from Düsseldorf, Germany.

But what will be done with the rejected pieces?? More news about the Bruneaf and related events in the next edition.

There will be a not to be missed exhibition with one hundred eleven masterpieces collected during their live time by Willy and Marthe Mestach, during the Bruneaf events in Brussels.

Enjoy this month news,

David Norden

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voelkerkunde museum heidelberg Bad Museum of the month shows fakes and old pieces mixed together

The Heidelberg Museum in Germany has a new exhibition called "Kunst aus Afrika". Last year they had also an exhibition about Gabun Art . It is incredible to see that the Museum director Dr. Margareta Pavaloi is doing as if here nose is bleeding, and that she doesn't know the pieces are recent counterfeits of known African Art pieces. I called her last year about her Gabon exhibition and she told me that she isn't the expert on African Art. I told her she should take contact with the known experts in the field on Gabonese art and even gave her a list of known experts.But this year she did even worse

good museum of the month:

New Rietberg Museum opens

Glass pavilion: Entrance of the new museum

The new Emerald Rietberg Museum extension in Zurich Switzerland who opened in February 2007 is splendid. With its high ceilings and three levels down it give a daylight feeling. The use of glass, wood, and precious stones is incredible. One level for the African Art, and two others for Asian, and Oceanic. You will be able to see the Tschokwe they bought at he Vérite auction in Paris.read http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/new_rietberg_museum.htm

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam- photo (c) 2007 David Norden
I visited the new section of the Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, and was quite impressed by the presentation. More fine African Art on view, mixed with explanation on the daily life in Africa. Surprising and astonishing.

read http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/tropenmuseum_amsterdam.htm

Treasures from the far-off shores of the Guinea Coast and other parts of Africa have recently washed up at the Yale University Art Gallery.

From the animalistic Kpakologi male mask to the elegant female figure perched on a Senufo staff, the African exhibit at the newly renovated gallery overflows with some 135 objects that capture the movement and vitality of multiple African cultures.

The gallery owes most of its pieces to the late Charles B. Benenson, whose generous donation tripled the permanent collection, which now contains roughly 1,200 objects, Museum Assistant Amanda Maples said.read
http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/yale_art_gallery.htm

"Images of Women in African Traditional Arts" at UVA

OBIT: Richard J. Faletti: 1922 - 2006 Lawyer, art collector. Attorney with Winston & Strawn became fascinated with African masks, carvings and textiles while on a trip to Nigeria.
"In a corner was this dignified, conservatively-clad lawyer-looking person flipping through African robes,"

http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/richard_faletti.htm

French articles

Henry Stanley Photographe . Ce n’est pas une exposition biographique, ni même photographique qui est présentée au Musée de la Photographie à Charleroi. C’est l’histoire d’un regard, et l’usage qui en fut fait, à la fin du 19e siècle (Musée de la Photographie à Charleroi 6032 Mont-Sur-Marchienne 27/01 - 08/07) http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/henry_stanley.htm

Librairie d'Art Africain La sélection de David Norden

«Désolé, mais la Joconde on l'a déjà promise à Abou Dhabi.» lire retour patrimoine

Kokabolana une belle expo à FLEMALLE en Belgique avec des objets du XIXeme

And last but not least a few items for sale (click on images of interest):

Hope you enjoyed this edition,

David Norden

P.S.: May I ask you to forward this email to your friends who also like African Art ?