Friday, November 20, 2009

Along with about 50 other dealers, I recently exhibited at the Los Angeles Asian & Tribal Arts Show, held annually in November at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The show is produced by the Caskey Lees organization, based in Los Angeles. The show is a mix of classic Asian art and tribal art from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. My report will focus on tribal art.

A short list of the dealers that exhibited: LA Tribal members: John Strusinski of Primary Source, Ron Normandeau of Anthropos Gallery, Philip Garaway, Joshua Dimondstein, Fily Keita and of course, myself, along with Michael Hamson (CA), John Ruddy (NM), Georgia Chrischilles (Belgium), Joe Loux (SF), Craig DeLora (NJ), Neil Becker (NY), Kip McKesson (Tanzania), Casey Waller of Caravanserai (TX), and first time exhibitor Bill Sutterfield (CA). A complete list of the exhibitors can be found on the Caskey Lees website.

There seemed to be more exhibitors displaying tribal art this year, which in my opinion is a good thing. Tribal art is so much more exciting than boring displays of old Ming vases! Ha! In fact nearly all of the extra public display areas showed tribal art, including a collection of rare wood sculptures from the Central Highlands of Vietnam (in the central garden) and an unusual grouping of Nepali farmer’s rakes fashioned from tree branches (in the lobby). Full disclosure: I contributed these items.

Other notable objects were a collection of Dayak shields and Indonesian weapons brought by Bill Sutterfield, a beautiful female Tau-Tau offered by Primary Source, incredible gold jewelry from Georgia Chrischilles, and a massive log drum in Michael Hamson’s booth. As usual Ron Normandeau had a fantastic array of pre-Columbian and Northwest Coast objects and Phil Garaway offered a very rare and subtle Navajo blanket picturing an unfinished Navajo rug on a loom. In my booth I offered a heavy, weathered Dayak statue of a sitting nobleman and an animated Dayak sculpture of a hunting dog, as well as collection of Naga shields and spears. My apologies to the African tribal art dealers for not paying more attention to their material. Unfortunately I can’t report on any specific special object. My bad.

As expected during this economic downturn, most of the dealers were apprehensive about attendance and sales. Even in the best of times, the LA market is tepid and it seems we rarely have serious clients from out of town paying even a courtesy visit, so expectations have never been high at this venue for big sales.

However, this year attendance in general was solid, especially on Friday and Saturday and I had the pleasure of meeting with at least a few important buyers that made their way from the Bay Area and Europe to check out the goods. I also met with several enthusiastic new visitors to this show.

Although my own sales were modest, as I’m sure it was for most of the dealers, some did experience big sales, especially on opening night. Michael Hamson sold his log drum, Primary Source sold the Tau-Tau, Bill Sutterfield sold very well, as did Jeff Appleby (CA), to name a few. These sales certainly indicate that serious buyers do attend which gives me hope that this show will survive and perhaps flourish.

It is always hard to gauge the success of a show by the amount of direct sales. For example, my sales rarely amount to much during the show, but in each of the last few years, I met at least one very interesting new client that came through with one or more serious purchases within a few months. Regardless, these shows are really the only way for large groups of potential collectors to view and enjoy high quality authentic examples of tribal art, that they can actually own. It also gives dealers a better opportunity to educate potential collectors and to directly discuss the merits of each piece.

I don’t want to forget to thank the show producers and their team: Bill, Liz, Netanya, Filomena, Steven, Clare, Bob, Agnes, and Treanne for all of their hard work putting this together.

REPORT ON THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN & TRIBAL ARTS SHOW-2009

Along with about 50 other dealers, I recently exhibited at the Los Angeles Asian & Tribal Arts Show, held annually in November at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The show is produced by the Caskey Lees organization, based in Los Angeles. The show is a mix of classic Asian art and tribal art from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. My report will focus on tribal art.

A short list of the dealers that exhibited: LA Tribal members: John Strusinski of Primary Source, Ron Normandeau of Anthropos Gallery, Philip Garaway, Joshua Dimondstein, Fily Keita and of course, myself, along with Michael Hamson (CA), John Ruddy (NM), Georgia Chrischilles (Belgium), Joe Loux (SF), Craig DeLora (NJ), Neil Becker (NY), Kip McKesson (Tanzania), Casey Waller of Caravanserai (TX), and first time exhibitor Bill Sutterfield (CA). A complete list of the exhibitors can be found on the Caskey Lees website.

There seemed to be more exhibitors displaying tribal art this year, which in my opinion is a good thing. Tribal art is so much more exciting than boring displays of old Ming vases! Ha! In fact nearly all of the extra public display areas showed tribal art, including a collection of rare wood sculptures from the Central Highlands of Vietnam (in the central garden) and an unusual grouping of Nepali farmer’s rakes fashioned from tree branches (in the lobby). Full disclosure: I contributed these items.

Other notable objects were a collection of Dayak shields and Indonesian weapons brought by Bill Sutterfield, a beautiful female Tau-Tau offered by Primary Source, incredible gold jewelry from Georgia Chrischilles, and a massive log drum in Michael Hamson’s booth. As usual Ron Normandeau had a fantastic array of pre-Columbian and Northwest Coast objects and Phil Garaway offered a very rare and subtle Navajo blanket picturing an unfinished Navajo rug on a loom. In my booth I offered a heavy, weathered Dayak statue of a sitting nobleman sitting and an animated Dayak sculpture of a hunting dog, as well as collection of Naga shields and spears. My apologies to the African tribal art dealers for not paying more attention to their material. Unfortunately I can’t report on any specific special object. My bad.

As expected during this economic downturn, most of the dealers were apprehensive about attendance and sales. Even in the best of times, the LA market is tepid and it seems we rarely have serious clients from out of town paying even a courtesy visit, so expectations have never been high at this venue for big sales.

However, this year attendance in general was solid, especially on Friday and Saturday and I had the pleasure of meeting with at least a few important buyers that made their way from the Bay Area and Europe to check out the goods. I also met with several enthusiastic new visitors to this show.

Although my own sales were modest, as I’m sure it was for most of the dealers, some did experience big sales, especially on opening night. Michael Hamson sold his log drum, Primary Source sold the Tau-Tau, Bill Sutterfield sold very well, as did Jeff Appleby (CA), to name a few. These sales certainly indicate that serious buyers do attend which gives me hope that this show will survive and perhaps flourish.

It is always hard to gauge the success of a show by the amount of direct sales. For example, my sales rarely amount to much during the show, but in each of the last few years, I met at least one very interesting new client that came through with one or more serious purchases within a few months. Regardless, these shows are really the only way for large groups of potential collectors to view and enjoy high quality authentic examples of tribal art, that they can actually own. It also gives dealers a better opportunity to educate potential collectors and to directly discuss the merits of each piece.

I don’t want to forget to thank the show producers and their team: Bill, Liz, Netanya, Filomena, Steven, Clare, Bob, Agnes, and Treanne for all of their hard work putting this together.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON PAIWAN TRIBES

"Reviving the Way of the Witch"
An indigenous Taiwan tribe aims to preserve its culture by training new mediums.
By Cindy Sui, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7, 2009.

For the direct link to the article, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-taiwan-witch7-2009nov07,0,3647247.story

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ARTICLE ABOUT ANCIENT ART AND WORLD POLITICS

When Ancient Artifacts Become Political Pawns
By Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, October 24,2009
For direct link to article, please go to:
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/arts/design/24abroad.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=when%20ancient%20artifacts%20become%20political%20pawns&st=cse

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

REVIEW OF THE SANTA FE ETHNOGRAPHIC SHOW, AUGUST 2009

Once again, I exhibited at the annual Santa Fe Ethnographic Art Show this last August, along with about 100 other dealers in tribal art, furniture, jewelry, paintings, as well as other miscellaneous items from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The show had always been held at the Sweeny Center, right off the main plaza, but for the last 3 years, during construction of a new civic center building, we moved to a temporary location several blocks from the center of town. In 2009 we finally returned to our original location, but in a newly designed civic center complex.

There was a bit of déjà vu this year, with the Whitehawk show back in the civic center and the Barry Cohen show just around the corner at their original location in the El Dorado Hotel.

I do like the new building. It is spacious, clean, and modern, with all of the exhibition spaces located on the main floor. There is a huge underground parking garage. Load in was relatively easy, with just one problem: there was a choke point at the one freight elevator for those parked in the underground garage. Otherwise, larger vehicles could pull right up to a large loading dock behind the building or load in from the street through a side door. Although it was not a problem this year, there have been plenty of times we had to slug through rain during load in and out, so it’s nice to have the option of parking in the garage.

The show organizers and their crew worked hard, as usual, to get things moved in and set up. Regardless of any criticisms I may have, I always appreciate the skill and stress they go through to put together these shows, especially as they make every effort to placate scores of grumpy dealers. A thankless job indeed!

Another favorite with this venue: catering by Cowgirls, a local restaurant that serves good, solid comfort food.

Some of the old exhibitors, who had previously dropped out of the Whitehawk show (several had jumped over to the rival Barry Cohen show), came back once the new location was available. Despite my personal feelings that most of these exhibitors lacked a certain amount of loyalty or patience with the transition, I was glad to have them back, as it significantly brought up the overall quality of the material in the show. Another benefit from having these returnees back is that most of these exhibitors actually deal in “ethnographic” art.

This has been one of my on-going complaints: in previous Whitehawk shows, many of the regular exhibitors would not be considered ethnographic dealers, as the term is commonly understood. I think most people would agree that colonial furniture, paintings, contemporary silver jewelry, and Bakelite would not be classified as ethnographic art. Another obvious problem is the quality and authenticity of many pieces offered by some of the exhibitors. There were (and still are) always at least a few booths that should have been cleared out and sent packing.

I’ll admit that in the past this mish-mash of material gave the show an exciting ‘anything goes’ sense of anarchy, with the possiblity of finding something you wouldn’t think to buy, crammed in amongst the trash. A bit like finding a treasure on eBay or in a good flea market. But, if the show is promoting itself as a quality ethnographic show, then this ongoing problem needs to be addressed. At least this year, because of the return of additional professional ethnographic dealers, the overall ratio of authentic material was thankfully higher.

Certainly, the exhibitors are paying for a quality ethnographic show! For years, the costs were notably less than those charged at the better-known Caskey Lees shows. Those lower costs helped blunt the negative issues with the show, but now we are paying basically the same rates as we would pay for a good booth at the San Francisco or Los Angeles Tribal/Asian Art shows. Considering that those shows (especially the one in San Francisco) actually draws in large crowds of real tribal art collectors, it seems misplaced to charge the same fee for a show that really does not bring in those same higher end buyers.

Other relatively minor problems; the square footage that was expected for booth spaces on the main floor was cut back during construction, which seemed to translate to less room in the aisles. There were times it was a bit tight moving through the show (especially during load in and out). The carpet pattern was also a bit much with the bold American Indian motifs, but I guess that would be expected in Santa Fe.

My last personal complaint that I want to mention (as an exhibitor) is the lighting. For reasons I cannot understand, the lighting trusses are placed right in the middle of the booth, thus preventing any natural way to properly light objects placed towards the front of the booth. I have mentioned this previously to the organizers who answer that everyone else seems to prefer this arrangement. Yet, virtually every single person I discussed this with, agreed that the truss should be placed towards the front of the booths. So any dealers who reads this (and agree with me) please express your preferences. Thank you!

Sales, as might be expected during our recent economic “pause”, were sluggish, at least for the majority of dealers who I talked to. The average response was “sales barely covered expenses” and that was about it, even with dealers that regularly sell well in Santa Fe. There were some exceptions, with one dealer of Catholic religious objects claiming to have had one of the best shows ever. I did see a lot of crosses, and statues of Mary and Jesus getting packed up. I guess when times are uncertain; it helps to surround yourself with religious artifacts!

It seemed to me that attendance was very high on Saturday, but less than usual on opening night and Sunday. Many of the regulars that I normally see were there, but most of the visitors that came into my booth were new to me. Normally, that would be a good thing and in the past I often sold to new buyers at this venue, even ones that were not major collectors of tribal art. I was busy most of the time; answering questions and quoting prices, but I experienced more “be-backs” than normal this year, with virtually none of them actually coming back this time. Oh well…

I heard a lot of complaints from dealers, with several claiming they were done with this show and would not return next year. That may happen with some, but in my experience most dealers, even the ones that rant and rave the most about poor sales, still feel obligated to give it another go. It was, and probably still is, my position that I would wait out the transitional period during construction and hang on at least until we got back to the plaza area. And I assumed that I would give it more than one try, regardless of how sales panned out the first time around. Under the current economic cloud, it is impossible to judge the value of this show for the future, based on a bad show this year.

However, I’ll admit that I am also not sure about my involvement next year. First, I am uncomfortable with the higher costs of this show, which amplifies the misery of poor sales. Second, I am just not sure if ethnographic art, excluding American Indian, Spanish Colonial, or Southwest art, has any real life left in Santa Fe. One prominent local tribal art dealer mentioned that his regular yearly sales were off considerably over previous years. And I noted that another tribal art gallery was closing this summer, a trend I have seen for a few years now.

Besides the Whitehawk show, I assume Barry Cohen will be back with his show at the El Dorado. In addition there will be a new show next year, organized by Kim Martindale and John Morse, veterans of the tribal and Indian art show circuit. Their show is advertised to include Asian, Devotional, Fine Art, Furniture, Indian, Tribal, and just about anything else anyone can think of to bring along. Will show saturation bring in new clients, attracted to this new art Mecca, or dilute the small pool that currently exists? Hmmmm…

25 or so years ago, the original organizers, along with a flood of “carpet baggers” with a mind to open a gallery, came up with the wild idea that other ethnographic art could sell in Santa Fe. At that time, there were no other regular tribal art show venues, so the idea took off, with serious collectors flying in from all parts of the country and the world. Eventually, other shows, based in larger regional centers, took the steam out of the need to come to the Santa Fe show to buy tribal art. We were still able to get some mileage out the continued success of the Indian shows and occasionally found buyers still willing to travel to Santa Fe or from wealthier art tourists that stumbled unwittingly into the Sweeny from the plaza. But, I am worried that the interest in other tribal arts (in Santa Fe) may be winding down.

That said, I’ll probably “be-back”…

VARIOUS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES OF NOTE

In the Los Angeles Times:

"LACMA Director's Top Dollar"
Hired as a rising star, Michael Govan's hefty compensation now stands in stark contrast to the nonprofit museum's finances.
By Alan Zarembo and Mike Boehm, August 18, 2009.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-lacma18-2009aug18,0,7489611.story


In the New York Times:

"The Mood of the Market, as Measured in the Galleries"
By Roberta Smith, September 4, 2009.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/arts/design/04galleries.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=The%20mood%20of%20the%20Market,%20as%20Measured%20in%20the%20Galleries&st=cse

"To Stimulate Souls, Cosmic Mansions with Many Rooms"
Review of "Mandala: The Perfect Circle" at the Rubin Museum of Art, Chelsea.
By Holland Cotter, August 21, 2009.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/arts/design/21mandala.html?scp=1&sq=To%20Stimulate%20Souls,%20Cosmic%20Mansions%20with%20Many%20Rooms&st=cse

"Ancient Man Hurt Coasts, Paper Says"
By Cornelia Dean, August 21, 2009.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/science/earth/21ancient.html?scp=1&sq=Ancient%20Man%20Hurts%20Coasts,%20Paper%20Says&st=cse

Sunday, July 19, 2009

MORE NEWS IN UTAH ARTIFACT CASE

"Man Held in Threat to Informant in Artifacts Case"
By Nicholas Riccardi, LA Times, July 14, 2009
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-artifacts-threat14-2009jul14,0,3872470.story

MORE NEWS ABOUT UTAH ARTIFACT CASE

Man Held in Threat to Informant in Artifacts Case

By Nicholas Riccardi, LA Times, July 14, 2009

For direct link, please go to:

Thursday, July 9, 2009

VARIOUS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES OF NOTE

Putting 'Primitive" to Rest
By Holland Cotter, NY Times, June 5, 2009
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/arts/design/05gene.html?scp=1&sq=Putting%20

In Athens, Museum is an Olympian Feat
By Anthee Carassava, NY Times, June 20, 2009
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/arts/design/20acropolis.html?scp=1&sq=In%20Athens,%20Museum%20is%20an%20Olympian%20Feat&st=cse

Chinese Vase Dates Back 18,000 Years
By Thomas H. Maugh II, LA Times, June 6, 2009
For direct link, please go to:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/06/science/sci-pottery6

Oldest Known Granaries Found
By Thomas H. Maugh II, LA Times, June 27, 2009
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-granary27-2009jun27,0,7299988.story

U.S. Settles Suit Over Scholar
Expert in Southeast Asian antiquities died after her arrest in a federal investigation of looted Thai artifacts.
By Jason Felch, LA Times, July 8, 2009
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-roxanna8-2009jul08,0,6135081.story


And lastly from the LA Times Science Briefing, July 4, 2009:

Ancestry in Asia?
Fossils recently found in Myanmar could prove that the common ancestors of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, rather than Africa, researchers say. The pieces of 38-million-year-old jawbones and teeth found in 2005 show typical characteristics of primates, the researchers who found the fossils pointed out. Other scientists say it's too early to draw such conclusions. The findings were published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a London-based journal.

NY TIMES ARTICLE ON INDIAN ARTIFACT LOOTING

Utah Town Unsettled by Doctor's Suicide and an Inquiry on Indian Artifact Looting
By William Yardley, NY Times, June 21, 2009

For direct link, please go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/us/21blanding.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Utah%20Town%20Unsettled%20by%20Doctor's%20Suicide%20and%20an%20Inquiry%20on%20Indian%20Artifact%20Looting&st=cse

ANTIQUES AND THE ARTS ONLINE REVIEW OF NY TRIBAL ART SHOW

Review with photos, please go to:
http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AntiquesShows/2009-06-02__13-14-17.html

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

NY TIMES REVIEW OF NY TRIBAL ART SHOW

New York International Tribal & Textile Arts Show
By Benjamin Genocchio. Art in Review, May 15, 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/arts/design/15gall.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=New%20York%20International%20Tribal%20&%20Textile%20Arts%20Show&st=cse

YALE CREATES DEPT. OF INDO-PACIFIC ART

Gallery Creates New Department Of Indo-Pacific Art;
Leading Scholar Appointed Inaugural Curator
http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=6508

LA TIMES STORY: ART SOLD ON EBAY

Relic Sellers are Faking it on Ebay
By Mike Boehm, LA Times, Section D, page one. Friday, May 29th, 2009.
http://articles.latimes.com/p/2009/05/29/calendar/et-ebayfakes29

Friday, April 10, 2009

REVIEW OF THE LA TRIBAL SHOW AT THE HELMS BUILDING:

Los Angeles Tribal, a local association of dealers specializing in the traditional tribal arts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, held their first exhibition at the Helms Building in Culver City, California on March 13th, 14th and 15th 2009. Participating LA Tribal members: Anthropos Gallery (Ron Normandeau); Dimondstein Tribal Arts (Joshua Dimondstein); Philip Garaway; Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art; Leonard Kalina Fine Arts; Fily Keita Tribal Arts; Primary Source (John Strusinski); and Jerry Solomon Asian & Tribal Arts. Tribal Arts magazine were also represented.

There was a Friday night opening benefit for “The World Is Just A Book Away”, a non-profit organization promoting literacy in developing countries. On Saturday and Sunday, members of LA Tribal with Jonathan Fogel of Tribal Arts magazine held a Tribal Art Appraisal Clinic.

This untried venue turned out to be a very good place to hold a smaller and more intimate exhibition. Frankly, until set-up, we had no idea if the overhead track lights would work properly or the display cases could be easily plugged in! But, it all came together with no problems and the individual displays were first rate. In addition, the Helms Building (formerly the Helms Bakery) is a well known icon in Los Angeles, easy to get to from all parts of town, with lots of available parking.

The opening benefit and appraisal clinic were designed to draw in new people and hopefully potential buyers. Without question these were successful in bringing in new faces, and thanks to the efforts of the non-profit, a good PR team, ads, mailers, and email announcements, the event was well attended, better than expected. We had close to 200 attendees on opening night and at least that number over the next two days (mostly new people). Approximately 70 of these attendees (again, mostly new people) brought in items to be appraised. Tribal Arts magazine was able to sign up more than 20 subscribers, a very high number for this kind of show.

The bad news, which was not un-expected during this slow economy, was that sales were underwhelming. But, more disappointing than the lack of significant sales, was the lack of participation by those members of the local tribal art community that I would have expected to attend. It never surprises me who comes to these shows, but instead who doesn’t. Without question, we were able to get the word out to this community including all of the LA area collector’s councils, organizations, individuals, and museums that have an interest in tribal art, so it was extremely unlikely they would not have been aware of this event.

With the exception of the director of the Bowers Museum in Orange County (thank you Peter Keller for making the trip to LA!), I am not aware of any other museum staff that came by (I am looking at you Fowler Museum! You too LACMA!). And worse, perhaps 20% of the LA based Ethnic Arts Council (EAC) bothered to attend! This is especially disappointing considering that virtually all of the members of Los Angeles Tribal are EAC members and very supportive of their programs and events.

In the entire Southern California region, there is one regular public show of Asian and Tribal Art (the Caskey Lee show in November) a very few museum exhibitions, and this LA Tribal group show. That’s it! You would think that anyone that has enough interest in tribal art to spend money to join an organization dedicated to appreciating tribal art or work for an institution with a tribal art collection would find a little time over three days to take advantage of this rare, free opportunity to view these works up close and actually talk to people who are willing to give you information and answer your direct questions!

Despite the economic issues and the lack of full local participation, other aspects were very successful. It has been a goal of Los Angeles Tribal to hold a regularly scheduled annual show, so we will likely do this event next March at the same location.

LOS ANGELES TRIBAL: http://www.latribal.com/
THE WORLD IS JUST A BOOK AWAY: http://www.theworldisjustabookaway.com/
DUBROWORKS PR: www.dubroworks.com
TRIBAL ART MAGAZINE: http://www.tribalmagazine.com/
ART & ANTIQUES MAGAZINE: http://www.artandantiques.net/

REVIEW: INDONESIAN TEXTILE EXHIBITION AT LACMA

I recently visited the Indonesian textile exhibition currently on display at LACMA. The exhibition is part of the Mary Hunt Kahlenberg collection, a former curator at LACMA and world renowned authority on Indonesian textiles. The original group was put on display (in conjunction with a symposium on Indonesian Textiles) in September of 2008 and ran until March of this year. Several pieces were removed and replaced with new selections in March. The current group will be on display until September 2009.

As a long time collector/dealer of Indonesian art and textiles, I am pleased to see LACMA take a special interest in this area. I believe their intent is to eventually acquire this collection. Textiles played an important part in the ritual life of Indonesians as well as displaying their status, wealth, and cultural identity. The collection covers most of the primary textile weaving cultures of Indonesia with a wide selection of ikat, batiks, and supplementary-weft examples from Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara (the outer island, east of Bali).

Several pieces have been carbon dated (C14) with ranges from 1430 to 1715! In my early days of collecting textiles from this region, it was believed that none could have survived more than 150 years, so 19th century dates were consider ancient. However, in the last decade, as more C14 tests results have come in, it is clear that many Indonesian textiles are considerably older than anyone would have imagined. Having a few of these early examples on display is an eye-opener.

There are many interesting pieces on display, but several drew my attention: an heirloom batik found in Sulawesi (dated to 1645-1695); a Lemba bark cloth blouse from Sulawesi with applied mica paint; a Tampan from South Sumatra with a single red ship surrounding by sea creatures; a Palepai banner with two red ships from South Sumatra; a large, Porisitutu cloth from the Sulawesi with bold meanders and fantastic color; a very good Pua Sungkit from the Sarawak, Borneo with serpent figures; a shawl from Timor with extremely detailed ikat motifs; and an ancient ikat fragment from Sulawesi with knelling animal figures (dated to 1430-1510).

I am not a big fan of Indonesian batiks, so I’ll admit I was not bowled over with this section, which was heavily represented. Other pieces from islands like Savu and Roti were not spectacular by any means, but these areas are not known for incredible weavings. I was disappointed to find that textiles from Borneo were so under-represented. Aside from the very good Pua Sungkit mentioned above, there were no examples of the better known and spectacular large ritual ikat blankets (Pua Kombu) from Sarawak or any good examples of the smaller woman’s skirts (Kain Kebat). In the first run, there was an underwhelming example of one ikat skirt. Beadwork was minimally represented as well, with the exception of important beaded bag from Sumba that was shown in the first run.

Regardless, of a few weak areas in this collection, the other examples are so spectacular it is well worth the visit (and re-visit). Hopefully, this exhibition will bring renewed interest in Indonesian textiles, an area often neglected by museums and collectors of important tribal art.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

COMMENTARY ON THE RECENT SF TRIBAL SHOW


San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show

Fort Mason Center, Feb.13th to 15th, 2009.

Every February I exhibit at the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show held at the Fort Mason Center. I really look forward to this event because in my opinion this show is the best Tribal Art venue in the US and possibly the world. There are more exhibitors than any other show (100 or more) with considerably more variety of material, unlike the big European shows which tend to focus on African art. Also, sales have typically been strong and consistent each year. There is always an interesting display in the lobby at the entrance to the venue and this year was no exception. Featured were a series of fantastic and powerful paintings from famed Miami artist (and tribal art collector) Jose Bedia.

Even with the constant drumbeat of economic Armageddon each day on the news, I was cautiously optimistic that buyers would dust off their checkbooks to take advantage of this once in a year opportunity to acquire great tribal artworks. There were plenty of good pieces for sale and attendance was high, certainly it appeared to be no less people walking the aisles than last year.

However, most people I talked to were not in a buying mood, even the ones that were not directly affected by the economic slowdown. Everyone appeared nervous about spending any serious money. With fewer sales to collectors, most dealers were backing off buying as well, so in the end overall sales were down considerably from previous years. This seemed to be the case with the majority of exhibitors, with the exception of a few dealers who did quite well. This was disappointing of course, but not unexpected considering the circumstances. Despite lower than usual sales this year, I believe this will not be the norm and look forward to exhibiting at this venue next year.

One side area that I want to address is the vetting at the show this year. Vetting, prior to the public opening, is a necessary step to insure the quality and authenticity of the material offered. This is usually done with the intention of removing only those items that are obviously or very likely to be problematic (fakes, reproductions, or overly restored items). In a perfect world, people selected to do the vetting would be recognized as experts in their fields and have no personal interest in the items on display. Admittedly, this is difficult to achieve as finding outside experts who are willing to do this job is not easy and often impossible. As an alternative, the show organizers usually have to select a group of dealers that are also exhibitors.

Unfortunately, this can (and often does) lead to allowing certain dealers, with less than honorable intentions, to have the power to remove any item from a competitor’s booth. This is supposed to be remedied by that fact that a small group has to make these decisions and no piece can be vetted out by a single person. However, it is not unusual for other members of these committees to either have their own agendas or not be qualified to make those decisions in the first place. In addition there can be a sheep-like mentality amongst some members of a vetting committee who prefer to avoid confrontation, so they just go along with the opinion of the most forceful personality.

I personally know of several authentic old Borneo sculptures (including a pair of male/female territory markers) that were vetted out of the show. These particular pieces were so clearly and unequivocally correct, that I was in shock when I found out they were removed. To be blunt, certain key members of that committee, who voted to remove these pieces (as well as others), were either extremely ignorant of the material or chose to do so because of a personal agenda.

This business is hard enough without the moronic and virtually criminal behavior of certain dealers. The real shame is these same dealers actually believe they will look better to their clients if they pull down their colleagues, when in fact it only causes distrust and insecurity in the marketplace. We need more cooperation, not more competition amongst our community if we want to see this business flourish.

LA TIMES STORY ON OCEANIC ART


SOUL OF OCEANIA:
The Art of Pacific Island Cultures is Gaining New Significance Across the U.S.

Article about Oceanic art at LACMA and at the San Diego Museum of Art.
By Suzanne Muchnic, LA Times, February 22, 2009.

For the direct link to the article online, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-oceanic22-2009feb22,0,924504.story

Thursday, January 22, 2009

ART AND RECESSION

Art and Recession
By Wolfgang Schlink, editor EAC e-news


“Art Imitates Crunch, With Few Exceptions” proclaimed an early January 2009 headline of The Wall Street Journal. Art moves largely in lockstep with the global economic turmoil. Artists, galleries, auction houses, museums, schools, philanthropists, and collectors are adjusting to a changing world.

2008 - Records, rejects, Russians

For Sotheby’s, November 14, 2008 was a rare good day in recent months. The auctioneer was basking in superlatives, like “a new level” for African and Oceanic Art, “continued enthusiasm of collectors even amid challenging economic times”, and “many world records achieved”. The sensational $4 million sale of a pair of Senufo ancestor figures, originally in the collection of Nelson A. Rockefeller, was the highlight of the evening. Moreover, the New York auction of the Rosenthal Collection was one of the few bright spots in the fall auction scene; so praise was warranted. But, to put things in perspective, tribal art accounts for just a small fraction of total art auction sales where Impressionist, modern, and contemporary art dominate.

Prices for art - especially of the contemporary and modern genre – had skyrocketed in the past few years driven by the irrational exuberance of wealthy collectors. Within weeks of a waning 2008 the overheated market dropped to a more earthly level. For some segments of the art world this did not make for a soft landing. Contemporary Asian art from China and India - so hot for a few years - fell prey to overhyped estimates at the October/November Hong Kong auctions. By the beginning of the fourth quarter Sotheby’s contemporary art experts still took solace in the record results of their Damien Hirst September formaldehyde-drenched auction. The direct sale - a bypass of Hirst’s gallerists - marked a peak of the contemporary art market. In hindsight, it was not a trendsetter, but rather an aberration combined with lucky timing. The Hirst auction took place on September 15, the day Lehman Brothers collapsed.

By December 2008, Christie’s indicated price cuts of 10% or more; an optimistic view as the New York November auctions had seen downward adjustments of more than 30% and a disproportionate share of unsold consignments. Cash rich buyers took advantage of what could only be described as twofer sales. In less than 90 minutes at Sotheby’s New York, Los Angeles financier Eli Broad reportedly plunked down $8 million for a Ruscha, a Judd, a Koons, and a Rauschenberg, all well below their low estimates.

The tea leaves of the fall 2008 auctions for late 19th and 20th century art do not make for a simple reading. The heap of bought-in lots increased. Works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Marden, Hirst, and Koons were among the rejects while records were still broken. Some of the highlights: Edvard Munch’s 1894 “Vampire (Love and Pain)” changed hands for more than $38 million. Kazimir Malevich’s 1916 “Suprematist Composition”, recently wrested by the painter’s heirs from Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, set a high mark for Russian art at $60 million.

Earlier, in May 2008, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had snapped up Francis Bacon’s 1976 “Triptych”, at $86.3 million the fourth most expensive painting ever sold at auction. Only 48 hours later he added Lucian Freud’s 1995 painting “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping” from the artist’s “fat period” to his collection. At $33.6 million it was a record result for a living artist. The two purchases - an interesting comparison – came close to matching the entire 2007 budget of America’s National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

It is not entirely clear what drives the art collecting ambition of several Russian oligarchs and intensely private Mr. Abramovich in particular. He is known as a trophy hunter who owns FC Chelsea (the English Premier League soccer club) and several luxury yachts including the world’s largest with its own missile defense system (still under construction). His muse seems to be girlfriend Dasha Zukhova, herself a rookie in the art collecting world. Yet, the 27 year old Russian ‘It Girl’ has the drive to make things happen. With the assistance of first-class professionals and her boyfriend’s deep pockets she orchestrated the conversion of the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage, a Moscow architectural landmark from the 1920s, into a center for contemporary culture. For the June 2008 “soft” opening of her Garage art space, movers and shakers of the international art scene scrambled for invitations. Among the 300 lucky attendees were the likes of Ronald Lauder (Neue Galerie, N.Y.C.), Larry Gagosian (has now his own Moscow gallery), collector Steven Cohen, and artist Jeff Koons. Singer Amy Winehouse flew in for the night and performed for a reported fee of $2 million. Abramovich and Zhukova have far reaching plans. For 2010, they have committed to a Francis Bacon retrospective that will open at the Garage and then travel to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Some glorified comments seem to suggest that a new elite of Russian collectors is born, reminiscent of the tradition of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, or Impressionist connoisseurs Ivan Morozov and Sergei Shchukin. It remains to be seen if the art shopping spree of Mr. Abramovich is more than just an expensive flash in the pan. Russia’s precipitous economic downturn since May 2008 has clearly affected his fortune by the billions, although a spokesperson calls the bad news “merely paper losses”.

The lessons from the capricious auction scene of 2008 indicate that even in a recession rare, good art of impeccable provenance keeps its value. Impressionist paintings did not lose their standing. In contrast, overvalued names and less than first-rate works have quickly created their own bear market.

Philanthropists rethink

“… mad Americans and sad Japanese slowly begin to discover they have been throwing away billions of pounds on the hideous rubbish which is still called ‘modern art’“; the London Daily Telegraph mocked the art slump of 1991(!). The assessment for late 2008 would sound only slightly different. Yet in November, Tobias Meyer, at Sotheby’s in charge of contemporary art worldwide, tried to put a positive spin on a dire situation by feeding the art world the euphemism: “… price disparity between good and great has widened to humongous”. And of course, the nationality of compulsive contemporary art buyers had changed over time. Now, the nouveaux riches from Russia, the Middle East, and Asia stayed away, and so did much of the recession-bitten Wall Street elite of collectors. A few members of the latter quickly turned from buyers to sellers to take advantage of a last fat chance - for a while - to replenish some of the lost family silver. America’s museums had courted affluent financiers, investment bankers, hedge-fund managers, and their wives for board memberships with the expectation of major art endowments. Philanthropy has to wait as museum patrons prioritized personal needs.

Kathy Fuld, a vice chairman of MoMA’s Board of Trustees and wife of Lehman Brothers ex-CEO Richard Fuld, consigned a set of 16 rare postwar works on paper (Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, and others) to Christie’s for their November 12 auction, guaranteed by the auctioneers for $20 million. The sale tallied just $13 million leaving Christie’s holding the bag for the difference. You win some, and you lose some. According to Bloomberg, husband Richard Fuld unloaded his shares of insolvent Lehman in September for just $500,000, a stash that had been worth a tidy $247 million only some 18 months ago.

Jennifer Stockman, president of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, consigned several works of art to the same auction, among them a 1994 painting “Pine House (Rooms for Rent)” by Scottish-born artist Peter Doig. The work had stellar exhibition provenance from London’s Tate Britain where it had been part of an early 2008 show of the artist’s work. It also came with an estimate of $4.5 to $6.5 million and a generous guarantee by the auction house. Small change as Georgian mining magnate Boris Ivanishvili had shelled out $11.3 million for Doig’s 1991 painting “White Canoe”, at the time (February 2007) the most expensive work by a living European artist. Yet, the no-sale of “Pine House” and the low sale of other pieces of the Stockman lot triggered the guarantee. The sheltered consignor was happy while Christie’s stockroom kept growing. “Talk about timing … It was now or never …” were Mrs. Stockman’s cheerful comments; words reminiscent of a commodity trader.

Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis - she the president of MoMA’s Board of Trustees, he the co-founder of private equity firm KKR - staged a successful sale of their c. 1879 Edgar Degas pastel on paper “Danseuse au Repos”. The painting was knocked down at a record $37 million, breaking its own 1999 high mark of $27.9 million. A successful ‘flip’ for the consignors with an added bonus as Sotheby’s supposedly had guaranteed the sale at a generous $40 million.

And, when everybody was getting ready for some good - albeit muted - holiday cheer, Bernard Madoff and his collapsed Ponzi scheme shocked the financial world. The deceitful investor made off with multibillion dollars of direct and indirect clients. Philanthropists are disproportionately affected by the Madoff malaise as they have a tendency to put their charitable dollars into higher risk investments than let’s say their retirement savings. For a few of them their art collections became over night their sole - not very liquid - assets. Unlucky timing as any forthcoming fire sales will face a soft art market.

Auctioneers restructure

The new economic reality forced auction houses to make changes. Sotheby’s and Christie’s, the top contemporary art auctioneers, and distant third Russian-owned Phillips de Pury had engaged in a cutthroat competition to win consignments. Many of the weapons used in this battle for prestige and market share have become - at least for now - tools of a foolish historic arsenal. Gone are the kickbacks of buyer’s fees to the seller. Next, the questionable and loss making practice of luring sellers by giving them price guarantees has been abandoned. In this ultimate gamble to attract consignors, an auction house would commit itself to pay a fixed sum to a seller of a piece of art, regardless if it would be bought at auction or not. This promise was at times embellished by a profit-sharing agreement if a successful sale exceeded the guarantee. Cheyenne Westphal, Sotheby’s European chairman of contemporary art, confidently declared: “We guarantee the works we believe in”. That she stated in October 2008. Only weeks later it turned out the believers had significantly underestimated the precipitous slide of the art recession. Serious multi-millions of dollars - all three major contemporary art auctioneers were affected - were lost in their blown up (no pun intended) guarantees. By December, Sotheby’s and Christie’s reportedly had lost a combined 63 million to their overoptimistic pledges. Incidentally, the guarantee game had always been looked at with some skepticism as it could easily skew the impartiality of the auctioneer. Who wouldn’t try to market a guaranteed pay-out harder in lieu of the uncertainty of selling or not selling a given lot?

Yet auction houses continue to play all sides of the sale. They seem to have maintained the “third party guarantee” (i.e. not their own, more likely a gallery’s or a collector’s pledge geared to see the prices for a particular artist increase). Fairly new in their toolbox is the “irrevocable bid” (i.e. a buyer’s pre-sale guarantee). In addition, they are extending loans and pre-sale advances to sellers. And, who’d know about potential side deals to ingratiate themselves with consignors, like promised donations to the seller’s favorite charity?

Sotheby’s had expanded its brand from being just an expert art intermediary. Attempting to cater to other needs of their well-to-do clientele, they branched out into high end real estate brokering. Over time the auction house had slipped into the role of a financial institution for the wealthy, involved in lending, guaranteeing, rebating, and the (now terminated) credit card business. It did not make for a successful diversification. Sotheby’s share price (NYSE ticker: BID) had dropped to $8.89 by New Year’s Eve, a nosedive of 77% from early 2008. Downsizing of staff, resulting in anticipated savings of $7 million for 2009, was just one of the consequences.

Closely held Christie’s - part of French holding company Artemis that owns the Gucci brand and Chateau Latour - announced their restructuring plan on January 12, 2009. Speculation had it that the winery or even the auction house itself may be for sale. Not so fast; for now the vague announcement just speaks of “significant staff reductions”.

Museums retrench

The Art Newspaper of London recently conducted a financial survey of some 40 U.S. art museums. The polled institutions had reportedly lost on average more than 20% of their invested endowments in 2008. That may well be an understated figure. As a consequence, from the Guggenheim to the Getty, from MoMA to MOCA painful budget cuts are being put in place for 2009 and 2010 affecting staffing, programming, and operations. Hiring freezes, early retirement packages, postponement of building expansions and renovations, temporary closing of venues, and cut back on research and exhibitions are the orders of the day for America’s cultural institutions.

While their European counterparts are for the most part publicly funded, American museums rely heavily on private and corporate philanthropy. Sponsorship of art fairs, museum exhibitions and catalogs, has been an integral part of the business plan of many financial institutions. It was one way to attract high-end clients for their wealth management divisions. Active players, like Lehman Brothers or Merrill Lynch have collapsed or merged. Other art-supporting banks of significance, like Deutsche and UBS, have reported multi-billion losses. The corporate sponsorship dollar is becoming a rare currency in the global art and museum world.

Los Angeles’ MOCA, arguably the world’s most important contemporary art venue, was lucky. A victim not so much of the recession but of financial mismanagement, the museum had lived for years beyond its means. Magnate Eli Broad came to the rescue and has pledged a $30 million lifeline for MOCA’s survival.

President Obama - WPA revisited?

The current economic crisis is a stark reminder of the time of the Great Depression; minus the dust storms and soup kitchens for now. Today’s economic pundits keep skillfully avoiding the dreaded D-word. “A deepening recession” was the balancing act of wordsmithing recently used by a senior advisor to the presidential runner up. The answer to the calamitous times of the 1930s was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal which included support for the arts. Programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and others provided jobs creation and education. Artists who received government paychecks included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, and Thomas Hart Benton. Production of posters for public causes flourished, muralists beautified post offices and other public buildings. The depression presented photographers like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, both on the federal payroll, with haunting motifs. It remains to be seen to what extent the Obama administration will include support for the arts in the eagerly anticipated stimulus package.

President Obama has publicly stated: ”Our art, our culture, that’s the essence of what makes America special …”. His campaign platform included an arts program, unusual for a presidential contender. One of the main ingredients of his cultural policy platform is the creation of an Artists Corps, a cadre of young art talent pressed into service for the benefit of America’s public schools. A welcome thought at a time when state budget cuts force the Los Angeles Unified School District to freeze its Arts Community Partnership program, a valuable hands-on teaching program in many disciplines of the performing and visual arts. Clearly a shame, as it is a documented fact that test scores in low-income public schools which link art education across the curriculum improve faster than scores in schools lacking art programs. Establishing the Artists Corps would be a win-win situation for young artists and for students.

In a time of recession the cliché of the starving artist is likely to become a clear and present reality. Art is luxury that one can arguably live without. As an overspending nation focuses on reducing debt, the negative impact on art sales and the burgeoning gallery scene is inevitable. Yet there is a chance for the creative, innovative mind. One example is Los Angeles-based artist Shepard Fairey who by his own admission was “living on the poverty line” until 2001. He propelled his art to prominence by starting as a street artist pasting - not always terribly legal - his posters on buildings, walls, and bridges. Skill, timing, and using the potential of the Internet made his image of candidate Obama a ubiquitous icon. The National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian just acquired and unveiled the original.

Let the image be the maxim of art and recession: There is - HOPE.

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The article was first published in the Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles (EAC) e-news january/february 2009 edition

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

INTERNATIONAL ASIAN ART FAIR 2009: CANCELLED!

Statement from the Haughton website announcing the cancellation of the 2009 Internatioal Asian Art Fair in New York.

"Due to the present global economic situation we have regrettably taken the decision to cancel The International Asian Art Fair for 2009. The fair was scheduled for the 11-15 March at The Park Avenue Armory, Park Avenue at 67th Street, New York City. Many of the dealers who had contracted to take part are not in a position to go forward in the current climate and as such we have decided a fair would put an untenable strain on their resources. We hope to be able to re-launch the fair in 2010 and look forward to working with our exhibitors again."

http://www.haughton.com/