TRIBAL people 124 minimal and free of distraction. I’m quite a neat person, to the point where it sometimes drives my boyfriend crazy, but I like to live with art surrounding me everywhere I go. It’s important for me to be able to appreciate these objects, their forms, and their surfaces, and a minimal environment facilitates this experience. The pieces I love are so powerful and commanding that they speak for themselves. They occupy the space with their presence, and I think a crowded environment would tone them down. T. A. M.: I believe you told me that most of the African material that is presently in your Berlin apartment was acquired within the last three years. This must be three dozen or more pieces, the majority of them pretty substantial. How do you anticipate your collection evolving in the future? J. P.: Yes, I’ve acquired most of the African art in my Berlin fl at in the last two or three years. I still have pieces from early on, but I’m more interested in living with what I have acquired recently. I tend to be very determined, and when I like something I want to surround myself with it. The same is the case with contemporary art. I tend to collect in depth—ten to twenty works as opposed to only one or two paintings by an artist I admire. So in the African art context, having groups of works of one type is also something that I fi nd exciting, which is why I plan on continuing to add to my Bundu collection. My goal is to live with a substantial collection of the highest quality possible, but at the same time I don’t have a preconceived notion of what my collection should look like. At this stage, I have a strong interest in art from Nigeria and I’m trying to acquire more sculptures from this region, particularly from the Benue River Valley, the Niger River Delta, the Cross River, etc. I’m attracted to very strong and expressive works, so sculptures from Cameroon, Gabon, and the DRC can also be very appealing. The great thing about collecting African art is that it is a neverending pleasure and an ongoing learning process. I feel like I’m still in the very early stages of building my collection, and with each acquisition my collection gains another layer that I didn’t necessarily anticipate. It’s very exciting! I temper my nature to collect by surrounding myself with what’s interesting and compelling at the time. For me this means that as I acquire new works, whether they are contemporary or classic African art, I have to fi nd a place for them without disrupting the overall harmony of what’s around me. T. A. M.: You’ve been buying extensively, often from wellknown dealers and at high-end auctions. What is the FIG. 9 (right): Standing fi gure attributed to the Master of the Wedge- Shaped Beard. Teke, DR Congo. Ex Stephen Chauvet, Paris; Pierre Vérité, Paris; Alain de Monbrison, Paris; Spanish private collection; Galerie Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, London. Wood, pigment, textile, “magic charge”/bilongo. Base by Kichizô Inagaki. H: 49 cm. Photo: Andrea Rossetti. make it a point to attend the major sales in Paris and NYC, going to Parcours and BRUNEAF, and visiting galleries and museums all over Europe and the U.S. T. A. M.: Your galleries and your living space are clean lined to the point of being minimalist, but the African art you’re attracted to these days frequently is pretty wooly, with heavy patinas and even blood encrustation. How does this dichotomy function for you? J. P.: I’m very attracted to objects that were extensively used within their original context to the utmost effect and power. This is particularly the case with my Fang, Igbo, and Kaka sculptures, all of which have considerable signs of extensive use over long periods of time. I especially appreciate their incredible surfaces in a space that is
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