Artcurial prepares its first sale of Aboriginal Art

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Some sectors of the art market are at the intersection of contemporary art and tribal art. In fact they trend rather toward the contemporary art, with known and required artists, even if their names (as mine besides) are sometimes difficult to pronounce.

Among those which I located, there are the Inuit art and the Aboriginal art.

Aboriginal art is the object on the spot in Australia of impassioned sales. On July 7, Artcurial in Paris also launches out in this speciality.

A painting of 1992 by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri is presented with a very open estimate: 240 to 400 K€. A too opened estimate, like this one, attests that the auction house seeks its customers.

Paris already saw these last months some sales of Aboriginal art, organized in particular by the expert Mr. Reynes. The arrival of Artcurial can accelerate the arrival in Paris of other works of this very aesthetic style, which for us is beautiful abstract art and for Australian people remains filled of magic or esoteric significance.

It is on the latter argument, finally, that I decide to classify this sale on the side of tribal art.

See the press release of Artcurial, in English.

[markgould]

Pierre: How fascinating! I was wondering if you felt this was a first or something fairly new in the world of tribal or indigenous people's art, and was also wondering whether you know or think that tribal art from other parts of the world are also receiving interest from art buyers?

cheers, Mark

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

An estimate can be both very open and too high. The star of the sale has not been sold.

Yet Artcurial had not fallen before the media efforts, for example by bringing the collector to appear in newspapers, and inviting an Aboriginal artist to make a painting in the presence of the visitors of the exhibition of the sale.

The maximum price obtained is not unusual: 45 K € charges included.

Half of the lots remained unsold.

What can be inferred? That the conquest of a market is a long-term work that is not done in a single sale, even if it is well prepared.