A few published objects
June 21, 2011
Published in “Southeast African and Oceanic Art”.
A Northern Nguni Prestige Staff, South Africa, 18th or 19th Century. Provenance: Dimondstein Collection, California. Height: 26 3/4” / cm. 68.
A Papuan Gulf Lime Spatula, 19th Century. Provenance: Thomas Schulze-Westrum, collected in situ at Karati Village in 1966. Height: 8”/20 cm.
A Papuan Gulf Lime Spatula
The first one…
June 21, 2011
This catalogue was published in 1995…
The Colour of Melanesia
June 21, 2011
This catalogue was published in Autumn 1999. Photographs by Dick Beaulieux, R. Faller and Heini Schneebeli.
Southeast African and Oceanic art
May 31, 2011
Th
is catalogue is both a departure and a focus at the same time. A departure, in that I haven’t included works from Central and West Africa, my mainstay of commercial life, and a focus, in that the geographic and cultural areas of Southeast Africa and the Pacific Islands have had a strong fascination for me for a long while. Having lived and travelled in both areas, I wonder if there is some broader link, artistically, if not spiritually, between the two. It was once said by a colleague, a fellow lover of fine woods, that the Zulus were the Polynesians of Africa. More probably, it is happenstance, a roll of dice, why one favours one thing over another. Regardless, one unifying factor exists, that of the joy of discovery. Not only the broader discovery of art, but the literal “find” of a piece, and the pleasure of bringing it to the public eye. There are many pieces in this catalogue with interesting histories, that laid forgotten, awaiting serendipity and a bit of detective work, to re assign them back to their correct place in this particular world of art.
Oceanic Shields
April 5, 2011
Emblems of status…
Emblems of status, definitions of power, reflections of strength; Oceanic shields manifest these universal traits boldly, on broad canvases of colour, projecting their imagery with clarity. In areas where other forms of visual expression were abundant, to where they were less so, decorated shields throughout, burst with the same creativity energy that is inherent in the best of sculpture or costume. Theirs is a vocabulary that connects across wide chasms, communicating not only from within the moment, but with future intent, linking the present with the ancestral past. Symbolism is the common language, well understood, drawing on as inspiration legends and hero stories, and protective motifs made personal. The physical body of the shield also shelters, and the surface histories bear witness to their use. Paint and repaint, spear and arrow points, abrasions and wear, are layered over time, imbuing the shield with a spiritual depth most sacred.
The examples here presented are only a very few of the numerous types found primarily in Melanesia. While they are predominately made from wood, the degree of embellishment is astonishing in the infinite diversity of texture and design. Shell, fibre, feathers, tapa and pigments, are all in different fashions added to create a dazzling array of visual effects. Ranging from the massive and impenetrable, to the fragile and overtly refined, always mirroring the function for which they were conceived, shields aided in defining the social order. In many cases, only the highest ranking would have rights of ownership, and only the wealthiest could afford the specialised workmanship entailed. Designs stretched the human form beyond which is capable in three dimensions, in cases abstracting it to where it remains obscure. Geometry plays its role in organising the sight lines, though spirals and curves dominate. The backs, particularly on those from new Britain, are equally considered, the potency of design, silently fortifying the bearer. In all their functions and meaning, both visual and implied, shields are amongst the most important mediums for human expression in Oceania.
Nakanai War Shield
Rarities. Art from the Pacific Islands
April 4, 2011
RARE OBJECTS, RARE CLIENTS…
The phrase has stayed with me ever since I heard it many years ago when I was taken by some artefact that strayed from the normal course of things. I don’t remember what the object was, but it was deemed something less promisingly commercial that what obviously stood next to it. That may have been true, it being from a region of the world less known, perhaps difficult to pronounce, but it was no doubt something beautiful. Pacific Island art is often that way. Small communities with few resources made exquisite things, delicate things, fragile things, ethereal things. Although outsiders came early in this part of the world, and their influence became quickly pervasive, little was collected and even less survived. Books were written but even long ago most fell into obscurity. Dusty knowledge on ethnographic esoterica. However, even nameless, the spirit and humanity of the singular object is just as alive and stimulating as that which is comfortably familiar. The artistic discoveries that lay outside the door, off the beaten track, eyes wide open, lead the inquiring mind to all sorts of visual tributaries of the truly rare…
SOME EXAMPLES….
Maori Figure, Mid 19th Century
New Zealand
Bernatzik: Southeast Asia
August 5, 2010
Bernatzik: Southeast Asia
The final volume in the three-part Hugo Bernatzik series, this book explores the Austrian photographer’s compelling work in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. While visiting these regions, Bernatzik was at the height of his powers in terms of technique and artistry from an anthropological perspective. The photographs are among the first to show the Ahka and Meau, hill people of northern Siam. These stark black-and-white images capture the human condition and present humanity in a pure light. Southeast Asia is revealed through Bernatzik’s eyes, with all its inherent grace and lyrical beauty. Kevin Conru is the coauthor of Bernatzik: South Africa and The Art of Southeast Africa. He started the tribal art and antiquities departments at Bonhams Auctioneers.
Bernatzik: Africa
August 5, 2010
Bernatzik: Africa
In 1925, Austrian ethnographer and photographer Hugo A. Bernatzik traveled to Egypt photographing its people, architecture, and antiquities. He returned to Egypt in 1927, traveling through the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to the Belgian Congo and finally to the west coast of Africa, documenting the inhabitants and their world. His remarkable photographs predate the work of George Rodgers and Leni Riefenstahl. The essence of Africa is captured in these remarkable images of dance sequences, rituals, festivals, spears, shields, and swirling dust. Kevin Conru is the coauthor of Bernatzik: South Pacific, and he started the Tribal Art and Antiquities departments at Bonhams.
The Art of Southeast Africa
August 5, 2010
The Art of Southeast Africa
Based on the largest collection of southeastern African art outside of South Africa, this book focuses on the pastoral and nomadic distinctiveness of southern African art. The objects illustrated and cataloged include walking and fighting sticks, milking pails, headrests, wooden food platters, snuff containers, and the ornamental and useful adornments that double as combs and snuff spoons. How these personal objects that saw practical daily use were enmeshed in a complex network of spiritual and symbolic associations is clearly described. A visual feast and an important textual reference, this book will appeal to historians, artists, and collectors alike.
Bernatzik: South Pacific
August 5, 2010
Bernatzik: South Pacific
Hugo Bernatzik (1897-1953) is well known among anthropologists and ethnographers. His photography from the 1930s taken during research trips abroad provide an unfiltered view of various native populations in the South Pacific and has rarely been seen or published. The people, cultures, and customs of the South Pacific islands would all be dramatically altered in the decade after Bernatzik’s visits, as World War II spread over the region. Bernatzik’s photos provide the last uncorrupted images of most of the cultures affected, from Bali to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
