ART in motion
20
ABOVE:
Alec Mingelmanganu,
bark painting.
To be offered by Sotheby's, London,
in Aboriginal Art, on March 14, 2018,
est. 50,000–80,000 pounds.
Congo Ritual Figures
BRUSSELS—Marc Leo Felix is renowned
for having devoted his life
to the study and promotion of the
peoples of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. Each of the many
exhibitions he has organized in his
Brussels gallery and the collaborations
he has been involved in, both
with a variety of institutions and
with publishers, have been an opportunity
for him to offer in-depth
knowledge of the myriad peoples
and artistic styles of this vast region that he knows so
well. He has brought all the experience he can muster
to the creation of his latest publication, Ritual Figures
in Congo. It was launched at the recent Winter
BRUNEAF along with an exhibition that features some
remarkable related works, which will remain on view
until March 31. Published in English, this book is a
comprehensive guide to the statuary of the DR Congo
through 120 pieces, each with a full-page illustration
and detailed and informative text. A fi rst is that the
pieces can also be viewed in 360-degree videos by using
a QR code. This book will serve as the catalog for a
new exhibition Felix is preparing to introduce the arts
of the Congo to the Chinese public, which is scheduled
to open in June in the city of Chongqing.
The Art of Kings
ZURICH—Galerie Patrik Fröhlich will usher in spring
with an exhibition devoted to the court arts of Africa.
On view until March 24, 2018,
the show presents artworks created
to honor the sovereign of the Kuba of
the DR Congo, the Luba royal family
of the DR Congo, and the members
of the court of the Kingdom of Benin.
Highlights of the show include
a Luba caryatid stool supported by
two female fi gures, formerly the
property of Jacques Kerchache and
Michel Gaud, and a Benin plaque
with unusual animal iconography,
created between 1550 and
1640 and formerly in the prestigious
Pitt-Rivers Collection.
ABOVE: Female fi gure.
Northern Luba, DR Congo.
18th century.
© Congo Gallery/Joëlle Fiess & Marc
Felix. Photo: Damien Perronet/
ArtDigitalStudio.
RIGHT: Shield. Australia.
To be offered by Sotheby's, London,
in Aboriginal Art, on March 14, 2018,
est. 25,000–35,000 pounds.
BELOW: Throne.
Luba, DR Congo.
Ex Jacques Kerchache, Paris; Michel
Gaud, Nice.
© Galerie Patrik Fröhlich.
Aboriginal Art Sale
LONDON—Sotheby’s in London is holding a third annual
springtime Australian Aboriginal art sale, which
will be held this year on March 14, 2018. Interest in
this art has been steadily increasing in recent years,
as it has been increasingly visible at contemporary art
fairs the world over, and that should augur well for this
sale. The sale is anchored by works created by famous
and established artists, such as Warlimpirrnga
Tjapaltjarri and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, whose vibrant
canvases are internationally acclaimed, which
should appeal to a broad audience and ensure considerable
participation. Bark painting will also be
well represented through the works of artists like
Tommy Mungatopi and Alec Mingeimanganu.
Offerings will also include a selection of artifacts,
including a nineteenth-century shield and a rare
fi gure created to protect tobacco plantations in the
Torres Strait region, which will attract collectors of
the traditional forms of Aboriginal art.