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"THE jUNE 2008 BRUNEAF TRIBAL FAIR IN BRUSSELS "
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apologies for the long delay in posting photos and text from this year's fair!
Bruneaf is a wonderful social and artistic experience and it continues to be my favorite tribal fair in Europe. It is so much fun I would have to be in a body cast to miss it. This year gave us a little too much rain however. The biggest collectors and dealers, mostly from Paris, continue to come before the fair begins to pick pieces early from dealers who kind of cheat by opening their doors early. Even so there is always great objects to be seen most everywhere. According to local dealers, attendance seemed to be off by about thirty percent with many American collectors staying home. The high euro/ weak dollar is a continuing and theme that plagues both the local dealers and American buyers. See the recent article in Art and Antiques Magazine "A Dollar Short" by Matthew Rose on this timely subject. In 2007 the Euro went for $1.35 and we all coped with it and carried on. However, at $1.55-$1.60 that changes everything! Myself and many American colleagues go to Bruneaf to buy, but this year it was virtually impossible. At the current level the exchange rate is a deal killer. To be fair however, there were some pieces to get into if you looked hard enough and especially if a dealer was willing to accept part trade. The good news is as I write this the dollar is beginning to appreciate and the entire art market hopes that trend will continue.
The Sablon at night (taken from a balcony above Cafe' Leffe)
Gallery Visser
Gallery Visser- A group of Senufo Birds
Dalton Somare's Gallery
Joaquin Pecci-- A group of Nepalese Masks
Michael Hamson- Stone-carved New Guinea mask
Michael Hamson- A fine PNG Arapesh figure (center)
Alain Lecomte and Family
Brant Mackley and Michael Evans
Anthony Meyer with entourage
Okay, give my camera back already
Serge Le Geunnan & Stella Loebarth. Behind them are some Dayak Borneo architectural elements
Bruce Frank with a superb PNG Karawari Hook
John Giltsoff opening the door for a big spender. John had a number of incredible pieces. I respected his wishes of not photographing them. He had the most important Congo piece in the fair which was a very early style of Songye Village Fetish. Words could never do it justice!
Tad Dale- A wonderful early New Guinea Lower Sepik food hook against the back wall
Interior of Tad Dale's spacious upstairs Apartment on rue Ernest Allard
A message commonly displayed on ATM cash machines
One HUGE gripe I have is that there are no ATM cash machines in the Sablon. When you do finally find one there is either a long line or it is out of service. You have got to be kidding me!! What happened to convenience?? In a city where cash is so widely used wouldn't you think there would more ATM's available? What's more is that some local dealer's, I won't mention names, act like everyone is walking around with 10,000 Euros in their pocket! I kid you not. Hence, they don't want to take any other form or payment, always referring to their high tax rate. They don't want a bank wire transfer and they certainly don't want your credit card. What a turn off. Come on, guys lets be a little more customer oriented. That's the end of my rant :-)
Many of the galleries still allow smoking. Those are the ones I spent the least amount of time in-- cough...cough
Patrick Mestdagh with a wonderful quality pair of Marquesas Island Stilt Steps carved by the same hand
Kevin Conru with an exhibit of African Congo Basketry and woven items from the Musee Royal d'Afrique Centrale Tervuren
Conru standing next to a New Guinea Green River shield of astonishing quality and scale!
Conru-A New Ireland Malagan figure from the Hilltrup Missionary Society
Renaud Vanuxem- An incredible early Japanese mask
Pierre Loos (Upstairs Gallery)
F. Coppens
Wayne Heathcote
Wayne Heathcote- A rare Solomon Islands overmodeled skull. Wayne had just gotten this piece and sold it within a day of it being shown.
Fred from Gallery Kagu (left) Guy van Rijn (Right) who is responsible for creating the valuable Yale archive reference for African Art
Serge Schoffel- A very interesting PNG Bioma figure with exterior framework
Serge Schoffel- Just look at the size this Dayak Hampatong from Borneo!
Yann Ferrandin gives us all a lesson on how to properly name brand ourselves. Very effective murals
Yann Ferrandin with an important pair of Dan figures which garnered much attention
Alain Naoum's Gallery with Alex Arthur (Left)
Alain Naoum had this cool photo of himself displayed in his gallery with Woody Allen
Marc Felix in a good mood. Marc had an exhibition of Mongo arts and crafts
Jo De Buck next to an impressive Amazonian headdress
Jo De Buck- pair of Bembe figures
Philippe and Lisa Laeremans consistently have great Congo material
Laeremans
Laeremans- Congo Fetish
THE END
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