J. D.: What advice would you give collectors of
tribal art who are just beginning the adventure?
C. C.: Frankly, I don’t have any advice to give
new collectors. When someone is drawn to the
art and starts collecting, they must already have
the sensitivity to the art and the passion for
collecting it. If they’re going for it on their own,
they already have it in their heart.
But once someone gets started, I’d tell
them that there are going to be mistakes, that
they’re going to get hurt, and to be prepared
for that. There’s no way one can become a
163
FIG. 8 (right):
Hyena mask.
Bamana, Mali.
Wood.
Ex Lance Entwistle, London.
Photo: Marco Leonardo.
FIG. 9a and b (below):
Large head.
Lobi, Burkina Faso.
Wood.
Ex Alan Brandt, New York; Michael
Oliver, New York.
Photo: Marco Leonardo.
used to tell me that collecting this art could connect
African-Americans to their roots.
If African tribal art were to become more
mainstream, people would perceive it as being “in”
and the market would grow. In America there has
been a lack of the kind of appreciation historically
found in Europe, where it has been recognized and
greatly appreciated for a long time. The inspiration
and infl uence that African art had on artists such
as Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani shows its
importance in the art world. In America there are
many Africans and African-Americans fi nancially
able to collect African tribal art, but how to get
them interested in doing so? It’s about education.
Perhaps for some it needs to be understood as an
investment opportunity.
Many new collectors are buying African
artworks as investments. I hear about their experts
and their advisors—one says one thing about a
piece, the other another. And although an artwork
may have been made for ritual use and used
extensively, this kind of collector often cannot
really say if they themselves truly appreciate it.
They end up buying it because the advisor tells
them it’s a good investment. Though this may
work for some, this doesn’t seem to me to be the
way to bring in new collectors who are instinctively
drawn to and are passionate about the art.
Maybe there would be more African and
African-American collectors if some of the great
galleries and even some of the auction houses hired
more African and African-American experts and
advisors. These are people who have an affi nity
with their community. They could bring in and
educate new African and African-American
collectors about the art. But I don’t really see
this happening.
CLAMRA CÉLESTIN