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30 ABOVE: Reliquary figure. Mahongwe, Gabon. 19th century. Wood, metal. H: 38 cm. Ex Jacques Kerchache, Merton D. Simpson, Philippe Guimiot. © Galerie Didier Claes. Photo: Paso Doble— Formanoir. FAR LEFT: Mask, okuyi. Punu, Gabon. 19th century. Soft wood, kaolin, pigments. H: 35 cm. Collected in 1888 by a member of the Congrégation des Pères du Saint-Esprit. Ex Armand Charles, Paris. © Galerie Bernard Dulon. ABOVE: Standing figure, nkisi nkonde. Vili, DR Congo. 19th century. Wood, iron, glass. H: 55 cm. Ex Jacques Dulhoste; a private collection, Brussels. © Galerie Bernard Dulon. 27TH BIENNALE DES ANTIQUAIRES Paris—From September 11–21, the Grand Palais will once again be transformed into a splendid ephemeral museum when the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires et de la Haute Joaillerie will be held. As it has been for more than six decades, uncompromising excellence will be the standard of the show. One of its main attractions this year will be a recreation of the gardens of the Château de Versailles by renowned decorator Jacques Grange. Two major dealers will represent the tribal arts field. Longtime Biennale exhibitor Bernard Dulon will display pieces of exceptional quality and provenance, with an emphasis on the magical and religious qualities of Congolese statuary. Didier Claes will seek to duplicate his success at his first Biennale in 2012 with an ensemble of works representative of what he calls “classical African art in the making.” This will be an opportunity to admire both iconic works in his booth, such as a Gabonese Mahongwe reliquary figure and a Cameroon Mabea-Fang figure, as well as a variety of pieces representative of aesthetics less often thought of as classical, although they certainly deserve to be. SOLOMON ISLANDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Paris—The L’Eclat des Ombres: l’Art en Noir et Blanc des Îles Salomon (The Radiance of Shadows: Black and White Art of the Solomon Islands) exhibition, which the Musée du Quai Branly has announced will open on November 18, promises to be an important event both for the originality of the subject matter and the quality of the works that will be presented (look for an article about it in the next issue of this magazine). That opinion is obviously shared by Anthony J. P. Meyer, who will produce two shows that explore aspects of the exhibition’s subject in his Parisian gallery. The first will present a selection of masterpieces he has put together over the last ten years, including a canoe prow ornament collected on Dumont d’Urville’s third voyage at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The second show will be of in situ photographs taken in the Solomons between 1870 and 1920. The images—hitherto unseen in France—will not be for sale, but a digital catalog will be available online on the gallery’s website. It will include all of the images on display, as well as an index of the photographs and information on the techniques used to take them. BELOW: Standing figure. Mabea-Fang, Cameroon. 19th century. Wood, brass, mirror. H: 43.8 cm. Ex Schesca Kotchouko; Merton D. Simpson; Corice and Armand Arman. © Galerie Didier Claes. Photo: Paso Doble—Formanoir.


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