A REVIEW OF THE SEPTEMBER 2011 PARCOURS DES MONDES TRIBAL ART FAIR IN PARIS

This year there were 65 exhibitors, five fewer than last year, which felt like a more practical number. New Dealers included Jacaranda Tribal (NY) and Lucas Ratton (Paris). Last year I wrote that 70 dealers was "critical mass" for this event. Continuing the trend from last year, prices remained lower than in past years when the global economy was healthier. Prices were not bargain level but they were mostly rational, at least for Paris. The fair unofficially began the morning of Monday September 5th which was two days before the advertised date.

Next to the ultra high-end TEFAF Maastricht fair which encompasses all antiques, the Parcours des Mondes is most significant fair in the world for tribal art. Consider that unless a dealer can exhibit at least $300,000 in inventory they are not seen as a real player by their peers and probably shouldn't be exhibiting in Paris. Having some very serious material is a prerequisite for exhibiting and many dealers spend a year in advance preparing. Walking into each gallery is like peering into each dealer's bank account, net worth, ego and importantly their taste and talents. It is sensory overload to try and take it all in at once but I recommend that if you have even a "passing interest" in Tribal Art that you must attend this fair before you leave the planet.

I've now heard enough feedback that I can comment in general terms about sales. Oceanic material, by two to one, was selling better than African. Most dealers sold their best couple pieces and were left with the rest. The buying activity was mostly focused around "top level" pieces almost regardless of price. If the quality is there, the buyers were responsive. The astute buyers seem to be ignoring middle quality art unless the price is very tempting. This is a broad trend and one I began noticing shortly after the recession began. Dealers who apparently sold well include Yann Ferrandin, Kevin Conru and Michael Hamson to name a few.

Attendance seemed up over last year and in fact I had the most trouble ever trying to book a hotel room even two months in advance. September is also one of busiest months in Pairs for tourism so book well in advance to secure accommodations. Contrasted with last year, more dealers left their old inventory at home and were exhibiting fresh exciting pieces. That said, there were still plenty of art objects which were familiar to most of us.

Unlike the USA where vacant retail space abounds and virtually no retail Tribal Art galleries remain, Paris seems almost immune to the global recession. I think the culture in France is largely responsible for that. There is no comparison with the level of connoisseurship and importance that is placed on the art. Passionate collectors see art as a vital element in a well rounded life, and view it like a second currency and store of wealth. Parisian collectors draw less of a distinction between cash and art. In the states your retirement fund is your 401k pension while in France your art holdings are seen as virtually the same thing.

I was amazed by how strong Polynesian art was represented this year. This is the strongest showing of Polynesian pieces I've seen yet at the Parcours and I'll be talking more about that. There was also some of the best New Caledonian and Vanuatu material I've seen in one place.

Dealers who put on impressive exhibits included Yann Ferrandin, Jean-Yves Coue', Antonio Casanovas, Laurent Dodier, Bernard Dulon among others.

As in past years the Parcours catalog, which is always beautifully produced, seemed far less available in participating galleries. I couldn't find one anywhere and eventually had to buy one at the Parcours information office for 10 euros.

As an aside, I noted that the weeks leading up to the fair, most dealers sent out one or more email blasts about their exhibition. After the first batch, the "others" seemed totally ineffective given the sheer volume in the pipeline that followed... The impact was arguably anti-climatic for additional dealers piling on.

Vanuxem with an early Philippine Ifugao Bulul and a Maori figure he dated back to the 15th-16th c. as I recall

His use of green/ yellow wall brackets was a clever balance and contrast to the otherwise monotone masks

Lunch time cafe scene at La Palette, Philippe Ratton (center right) holding court

Entwistle Gallery rue des-Beaux window displays. Voted best vitrines by me. That Maori hei tiki was massive and the finest quality.

Entwistle Gallery: That Maori "kotiate" hand club in the background was probably the earliest and most unique example I've seen, having a transformational face/ body on the handle. I really wanted this piece but I couldn't talk Lance and Bobbie into accepting payments over 10 years :-)

Conru: I was drawn in by this rare carved wooden pig. The sculpture is from the Brazilian Amazon. It has applied vegetable dye paint mixed with Bees wax

Conru: A Mangbetu wood and ivory vessel and a small ancient New Guinea Sepik mask

"Dealer Extraordinaire": Mr. Jean-Yves Coue' on his gallery on 53 rue de Seine. I'm very impressed with this man. Last year he put on an amazing exposition of Vietnamese "Jorai Art" & he was making continuous sales day and night nonstop. The year before that he did a top-shelf "African Art" exposition of all fresh material. And this year he changed art genres again with a gallery full of impressive Polynesian and Melanesian art! Now think about this.... Some dealers narrow themselves to only selling art from a particular country, or even narrower, from a single culture! Coue' is blessed with the three elements necessary for "shape shifting" from one culture and continent to the next! He possesses great passion, a great eye and obviously adequate capitol. Although I don't know him personally I'm guessing he has a number of personal collections he maintains. We will all be looking forward to what he'll surprise us with next year!

Jean-Yves Coue' with a group of Fijian "culaclua and kinikini" war clubs. He had a very successful show and sold about one third of his pieces.

Jean-Yves Coue' with a Marquesas Island 'U'U club from the James Hooper collection, priced over 6 figures

Jean-Yves Coue' with some Solomon Island parrying clubs and spears. His gallery was somewhat crowded which made photography a little tough.

Jean-Yves Coue' with a New Caledonian figure and a New Caledonian green stone ceremonial scepter which had the largest stone blade I've seen. Putting together an exhibit with such quantities of scarce material like this would be virtually impossible to duplicate in the States.

Laurent Dodier's Exposition: "Totems Miniatures" features his collection of Northwest Coast Spoons which he had been collecting for 20+ years. He produced an 80 page catalog as well.

The reporter becomes the story... Laurent wanted to take a photo of me holding this particular spoon I admired. As I recall, I think he said it came from W.O. Oldman's collection (?)-- great provenance!

Other dealers who were also showing 'U'U clubs included Alain Bovis, Galerie Flak, Jean-Yves Coue', Jean-Edouard Carlier and maybe one other person. I've noticed a rhythm to the availability of these iconic clubs. There are spans of time where these are not available and then a burst of them will come out of collections offered by dealers and auction houses, as is to be the case right now. According to Steven Hooper only about 200 clubs of this vintage have survived which means only a fraction of that figure are in circulation! That might be surprising considering they "appear" to be fairly abundant.

Patrik Frohlich with a Baga figure. As I recall he said this was collected in the 19th century. He also had a wonderful seated female Ovimbunu figure. I didn't photograph it but it was in the Parcours catalog.

Due to the lighting, my photos of Yann's exhibit were poor. If anyone has good images please email me: sales@tribalmania.com

Yann Ferrandin continues to WOW us. He produced an exposition of Kota reliquary figures which were all great quality. But what impressed me was how thoroughly he redesigned his gallery to achieve the particular effect he was after for this special exhibit. The setting was museum-like with dim spotlights only on the art. The visitor walked a kind of U shaped labyrinth delineated by hanging floor to ceiling metallic mesh fabric panels used as backdrops. It was very classy and dramatic. Being someone with an eye for design, he did such a great job on the setting he created that the art came close to being overshadowed. The Kotas were terrific but I found myself tuning into the Zen-like "ambiance" (lighting, textures, colors and flower arrangements) more than the art itself. That was my take and I spoke with others who didn't share my view.

The nature of the exhibit greatly limited the number of people who could be in there at anyone time. I had to return several times before the crowds had thinned to a point where I could actually look. All that said, Yann spares no expense in his presentation, even publishing a catalog, and deserves all our admiration. Virtually everyone was talking about his exhibit and it was a highlight for many of those in attendance!

The following 13 photos are from Ana & Antonio Casanovas' exposition titled "Sculptures, Ceremonial Vessels in Primitive Art". This was probably my favorite gallery not only for the art but the presentation as well. Ana and Antonio obviously take the Parcours fair very seriously and to their credit were showing many fresh pieces of noteworthy quality.

This elegant ancient stone originates from the Sahara Desert. Its use was not well known but one of its functions was likely for grinding grain.

Casanovas: The Northwest Coast Tlingit bird bowl on the right was also featured in the Parcours catalog

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