FIG. 9 (top): Michel Lequesne in his consultation room. Photo: Alex Arthur. FIG. 10 (left): Mask. Senufo, Mali/Côte d’Ivoire. Wood. H: 50 cm. Photo: Alex Arthur. FIG. 11 (right): Figure of a bird. Sakalava, Madagascar. Wood. H: 72 cm. Photo: Alex Arthur. when I came upon it in Alain Bovis’ gallery, but I couldn’t decide right away. When I came by the next day, Alain welcomed me and, with a smile on his face, said, “You must act more quickly, Madame Lequesne!” Little did I know that it had been Michel, wanting to give me a surprise gift, that had beaten me to the punch. M. L.: And sometimes we quarrel about who will be the one to buy a piece. Because each of the works you see here belongs to one or the other of us. It’s important to us that it be that way. T. A. M.: Which acquisition has given you the most satisfaction? And, conversely, do you have any regrets? M. L.: I am particularly happy to have this Solomon Islands paddle since I greatly appreciate the aesthetics of this area. For a long time, I collected Africa almost exclusively, but more recently, I’ve made some fine Oceanic acquisitions. I’m still happy to live with the things I acquired earlier—Harter’s Bamana, this powerful Senufo mask with its modernist construction, and that Sakalava bird which resembles a Brancusi sculpture. These works attracted my attention immediately and they have stood the test of time. And that is an essential test. Like in a marriage, you always ask yourself if it will last. I’m also very proud of this Mahongwe reliquary guardian figure. Generally I’m not looking for a particular piece and I buy the object that I see and that seduces me. But this was an exception—I had always wanted to own a Mahongwe and I finally found one with Ana and Antonio Casanovas. And not just any one. This one is among the twenty or so of the type that Jacques Kerchache found in Gabon in 1967 in one of the wells into which either missionaries were in the habit of throwing pagan idols, or into which the objects were placed by the tribe itself to hide and preserve its sacred objects. T. A. M.: And have there been any major disappointments? M. L.: Rarely, fortunately. Some objects have lost some of their appeal over the course of time. Especially at the beginning, an aficionado does not always correctly gauge the longevity of what the eye seems to promise. It’s a difficult evaluation to make and one that is independent of the object’s price. I’ve made some modest purchases of works that continue to give me pleasure. Too bad about some initial mistakes—I have no regrets and it’s better that way. T. A. M.: Since you live with your collection, what is the nature of your relationship with your objects? M. L.: I must admit that when we are very busy, I almost don’t have time to look at them. One must be present and available in order to appreciate these works. Receptivity increases when things are calm and tranquil. N. L.: We regularly rediscover our objects. When we come back from vacation, for instance, we turn on the lights and look at a great number of objects one by one. It’s a moment of real pleasure, like becoming “reacquainted.” M. L.: Yes, completely … but I also have a project that I plan to realize in the near future. I would like to free up a wall and install a sort of niche in it, into which my wife and I could put a single object for a while to see and admire it in a new and different light, freed up for a time from the works around it. N. L.: An ephemeral museum!
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