INAUGURAL SALE Paris—As announced in our last issue, Artcurial is consolidating and enhancing its already strong position 40 in the French art market with the launch of a tribal art department under the direction of Florence Latieule with Bernard de Grunne and Lucas Ratton acting as advisor and consultant, respectively. The dozen sales that Artcurial has held in this area since 2002 attest to its expertise in the field of non-European art, which it now intends to expand to become one of its leading departments. In the inaugural sale, which will be held on June 17, eighty lots of quality objects with well-researched provenances will be offered. The highest bids will undoubtedly go to an atypical Equatorial Guinea female Fang figure collected in the Río Muni area between 1970 and 1980, but which probably dates to the first third of the twentieth century. A Mende ivory trumpet from Sierra Leone, sculpted in a style reminiscent of Afro- Portuguese carvings, also promises to attract some interest. TRIBAL ART SALE Brussels—On June 7, Native auction house will offer about forty pieces from the Karel Timmermans Collection. These include Songye, Bena Lulua, and Lwalwa objects that he collected himself between 1962 and 1965. Other interesting objects will also be offered, including African works collected in situ by a French colonial administrator between 1913 and 1923, a selection of Eskimo ivories, and an aficionado’s library consisting of more than 200 works about the arts of Africa, Oceania, and Indonesia. SALE OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART Paris—Far from being intimidated by the controversy surrounding the recent Native American art auctions in Paris (see the article by Yves-Bernard Debie in these pages), EVE auction house is reaffirming its interest in Hopi art. On June 27 it will offer a collection of forty-six kachina dolls. The forty-year-old collection is distinguished not only by the excellent quality of the dolls, but also by the fact that they were all carved by the same artist, Tawaquaptewa Wilson. Born in 1873, Wilson is responsible for a celebrated and multifaceted oeuvre and remains one of the most revered Hopi sculptors. Although primarily inspired by Hopi tradition, his work transcends the social and political evolution of his people. LEFT: Mask. Punu, Gabon. Est.: 30,000–40,000 euros. To be offered by Artcurial, Paris. BELOW: Mask. Lwalwa, DR Congo. Ex Karel Timmermans. Estimate not specified. To be offered by Native, Brussels. LEFT: Female figure. Fang, Río Muni, Equatorial Guinea. Est.: 60,000–80,000 euros. To be offered by Artcurial, Paris. ABOVE: Kachina. Hopi, Arizona. Estimate not specified. To be offered by EVE, Paris. ART in motion
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