OCEANIC ART EXHIBIT AT THE MENIL COLLECTION

ANCESTORS OF THE LAKE:
Art of Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay, New Guinea
May 6 to August 28, 2011
The Menil Collection, Houston, TX

Features 50 objects, including a group of highly stylized and abstracted wooden sculptures and decorative bark cloths.  Many of these works of art were acquired by two pioneering visitors to the region: Swiss explorer, ethnologist, photographer, and collector Paul Wirz and French adventurer, art dealer, photographer, and author Jacques Viot, both active during a notable period of research and collecting that began in 1921.

Curated by Virginia-Lee Webb, an art historian specializing in non-Western art and a former curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Ancestors of the Lake juxtaposes selections from the Menil's permanent holdings with pieces borrowed from public and private collections in Australia, Europe, and the United States.

Ancestors of the Lake is accompanied by an extraordinary catalogue, edited by Virginia-Lee Webb, including essays by leading scholars as well as historical photographs of Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay.  The 128-page volume features new scholarship on Western explorations of northern New Guinea, including Viot's journey as well as stills by Man Ray.

For details, please visit The Menil Collection's website: www.menil.org.

TRIBAL ART MARKET IN LOS ANGELES

Where are the serious tribal art collectors in Los Angeles?  Or more to the point is there or will there again be a serious market for tribal art in Los Angeles? 

For the last couple of decades, local dealers and show promoters have pondered this question.  The assumption has been there is a market for tribal art, perhaps even a big one, we just have to create the proper set of circumstances to develop it: the right show venue, the right PR campaign, the right ad placement, the right opening night beneficiary, and so on. 

In part, to tackle this issue, I helped found LA TRIBAL, an association of dealers in the Los Angeles area, specializing in the tribal arts from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.  The primary goals were to promote cooperation within the existing tribal art community (other dealers, collectors, and museum specialists), as well as finding creative ways to cultivate new collectors. 

LA TRIBAL members have joined local collectors’ organizations, such as the Ethnic Arts Council (EAC) and other museum support councils, with some members becoming quite active within these groups.  We participated in the primary tribal art show produced by the Caskey Lees organization, produced our own “mini” shows, offered appraisal services, and ran ads in a variety of magazines.  We tried bringing in new faces by supporting their favorite charity as a beneficiary on opening night.  We made sure to invite museum staff, local collectors’ groups, and other individuals known to have a specific interest in tribal art.

Despite these efforts, there are ongoing problems with the tribal art market in Los Angeles.  A case in point was our most recent show (held in early June); arguably the best show LA TRIBAL has ever produced.  It certainly was the show we worked the hardest on to promote.  We could not have a found a more perfect venue: a large empty space directly across from the LA County Museum of Art.  We hung a massive banner on the front of the building, easily seen from Wilshire Blvd. (one of LA’s most traveled streets) and the entrance to the museum.  We sent out nearly 18,000 mailers (five times more cards than any previous mailer), all to a well-targeted list of individuals with an interest in art.  We paid for PR and got several listing in local publications.  We sent out numerous email blasts.  We specifically invited individual collectors, museum specialists, and support council members.  We added an appraisal clinic and yet another beneficiary group, one known for its activism and support of fundraising events.  The show was beautifully set up with a full range of material: pieces priced for the beginning collector to those looking for only the highest quality items.  We had the opening night catered with a wonderful selection of Vietnamese food (a crowd favorite).  Our members made a considerable expenditure of money, labor, and time to make these preparations.

Almost no one came.  The beneficiary group promised 75 to 100 members of their group would make it to opening night, so we paid for food and drinks to make sure we accommodated their needs.  I’d be surprised if 10 people from that organization showed up.  We had about 30 others come by that evening, after expecting at least 150.  Over the next three days we had perhaps another 100 to 150 visitors.  Only four museum specialists came through: two from the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and two from the South Asian Art Department at LACMA (I would like to personally thank Peter Keller, director at the Bowers for his continued support of all of the tribal art events in California).  The Fowler Museum was missing in action, as well as all of the other local museums.  The EAC, Los Angeles’s premier tribal art collectors group with close to 200 members, once again barely showed (20 or so came through over the weekend).  Virtually no one came from the Bower’s Museum Collectors Council.  The few known collectors of tribal art in the Los Angeles area were mostly no-shows.

Despite my disappointment, it was easier to accept that our efforts were not dazzling enough to attract new people.  But, what really surprises and continually vexes me is that people who are actually collectors of tribal art, have even a remote interest in tribal art, as well as local museum staff that owe their jobs to the interest in tribal art, did not bother to come to the one tribal art sales venue left in Southern California.

I have two questions: why is there so little support or interest from the existing local tribal art community and why are we unable to attract new collectors?  I have my own theories and will address the two issues separately.

At one time, Los Angeles was an important location for collectors of tribal art.  This was especially true in the 1970s and 1980s when there were several active collectors of African art, most notably the Wallaces, the Baums, the Silvers, the Kuhns, the Dimondsteins, the Franklins, the Goldenbergs, and Jerome Joss, to name a few.  Pre-Columbian art has always had a strong following and at one time LA was the most important center for the emerging Indonesian tribal art market.  These collectors were also responsible for founding and growing the EAC, which in the past was actually dominated by a core group of serious collectors.

What happened?  To be fair, most of this original core base has aged, with many having passed away.   It is understandable why this generation is no longer as active, because their houses are full of art and today their primary concern is the disposition of their collections.  Unfortunately, with very few exceptions it does not appear this “old guard” spawned a new generation of tribal art fanatics to carry on their passion.

There has always been a mid-range collector base that still survives, but no longer thrives in Southern California.  This group consists of passionate collectors of more modest means (god bless them for hanging in there!), non-serious collectors who focus on bargains (which often means objects of lower quality and reproductions), and so-called “tribal art tourists”, non-collectors who like to view and talk about tribal art, but rarely if ever actually purchase anything.  We always keep hoping that the first group will win the lottery or inherit money from a rich relative, that the second group will suddenly realize the error of their ways and buy quality over quantity, and that the last group will finally fall in love with the art and step up to the plate.  Unfortunately, this rarely happens.

We keep imagining that fabulously wealthy contemporary art patrons, known to pay fortunes for squiggles of paint on canvas, a whirling mobile made of soup cans, or a metallic sculpture of a balancing bear with a bottle stuck in its behind (actually seen a recent contemporary art show in LA!), will finally see the light.  We are sure that, once exposed to our magnificent tribal artifacts, they will divert most of their expendable income in our direction.  Certainly, the scholars that have written numerous books on the links between so call primitive art and the roots of modern art are practically begging these collectors to pay attention to us!  Well, so far we have not significantly benefited from this potential metamorphosis. 

We also have banked on getting in that big celebrity client, who will fall in love with tribal art and go around Hollywood promoting how cool it is, thus bringing in yet more celebrity buyers.  LA TRIBAL, the Caskey-Lees shows, and nearly every private dealer or gallery has tried to open that door. Some of the public art galleries in the Beverly Hills area will get celebs in for a while, but with few exceptions they rarely become long-term clients and when they do, it is nearly always for contemporary art. 

So we are left finding new collectors from a different pool of potential art enthusiasts in Los Angeles.  I am sure we all assume that under the right circumstances, by exposing this new, presumably younger crowd to the wonders of tribal art, we will finally find our market.  Following are my hypotheses for believing otherwise.

Los Angeles is a relatively new city that barely came into itself until the 1940s.  Most people here seem uninterested in history or tradition.  There is barely an awareness of the Spanish mission period let alone anything before that time.  Nostalgia for an earlier era in their own lives is about as far back as they will go.  Second-generation immigrants quickly shed their ethnic identities to blend in and have little interest in their own cultures.  People came here to break free from the past, to make their own future, to reinvent themselves.  Angelenos tend to look forward, more concerned about what will happen next, not what happened before. 

Because of this lack of interest, they have no connection to the past, including old world cultures or so-called primitive societies.  And art buying, even for decoration, is not high on their must-do list.  This is especially true with younger people, who disdain “antiques” as useless old dusty things their grandparents owned. 

Additionally, wealthy Angelenos do not appear to be very sophisticated when it comes to art.  There is a lot of new money that often comes without a background in the trappings of wealth.  They know they have to buy a big house and an expensive car (or two). They are aware they need to fill their house with some stuff, but art and antiques are not something they know much about and perhaps find a bit intimidating, so they tend to follow commercial trends or the recommendations of their friends or decorators.

In my experience, collectors in Los Angeles buy contemporary art, classic cars, photography, retro furniture, and pop cultural artifacts because it is modern, hip, accessible, and comfortable.  Everyone knows that paintings are real art, that a movie poster is cool, and so are those chairs that look like 1950s rocket ships!  ;-)

The few exceptions are those people who have traveled abroad, say to Bali on vacation or to India to visit their guru.  But, even that group tends to be satisfied with the collection of souvenirs, purchased on their trip.

Lastly, people in Los Angeles tend to be outdoor oriented.  Their homes are larger and so are their yards.  It is warm, sunny and bright, forcing you outside.  We have beaches, mountains, and deserts to visit and lots of cars to get us there.  Angelenos just don’t worry about getting stuck indoors and therefore think less about what is in their house to entertain them.

In contrast, those living in older cities, like NYC or Paris, even an office worker or mid-level bureaucrat will own art.  Most urban residents on the East Coast and in Europe are focused indoors because of colder weather, closer neighbors, and louder street noise.  An indoor lifestyle encourages you to think about what you have in your house. You need art to dress up that dark and dreary apartment!  

There may be some hope from the growth of the local museum scene in Southern California.  The LA County Museum of Art purchased a major collection of Oceanic art a couple of years ago and have expressed interest in building an African art collection.  The Fowler Museum at UCLA is more active under the direction of Marla Berns.  Outside of LA, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, the Museum of Art in San Diego, and the Mingei Museum of International Art, also in San Diego, have good collections of tribal art.  Important, regular exhibitions, especially at LACMA may encourage existing art patrons to take tribal art more seriously.

Otherwise, in my opinion the above factors make Los Angeles an unlikely place to find new, serious collectors for traditional antiques of any kind, let alone tribal art.  Is it time to throw in the towel and re-focus our efforts elsewhere?  Perhaps, but I am still hopeful there may be a few more angles to try before we completely give up on my favorite city.

REVIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO TRIBAL ARTS WEEKEND 2010

The week of February 11th through 14th , 2010 brought to San Francisco the first Tribal Arts Weekend, combining the regular SF Tribal & Textile Arts show with the Marin Show: Art of the Americas, usually scheduled a week or two later. The show organizers, Bill Caskey, Liz Lees, and Kim Martindale, along with their PR teams, put together this concept, with the intention they would create a bigger and better experience for the tribal art market. In addition, Tribal Arts Weekend was part of an even larger concept: Arte Du Monde SF, which included the Arts of Pacific Asia show, held on the previous weekend and the Bonhams & Butterfields auction on Friday, the 12th.

Arte Du Monde SF and the Tribal Arts Weekend partnered with the Asian Art Museum, the Marin Museum of the American Indian, SF Tribal (a local dealer organization), and ATADA (Antique Tribal Art Dealers Assoc) to offer special programs within the larger framework. There were lectures on a Kiowa pictorial calendar and on basketry plants of North America, an exhibition of Southwestern pottery at the Marin Museum, and an ATADA sponsored panel discussion on Collecting and the Law. The Tribal & Textile Arts show had their opening on Thursday evening and the Marin Show had their first opening night in many years on Friday. In addition to the official Arte Du Monde SF programs, the De Young Museum sponsored a mini-symposium on Scientific Testing of Art and Textiles and held a lecture on Turkmen carpets. There were also the usual openings at Michael Hamson’s gallery and at Dave DeRoche’s home gallery, as well as two special previews at the new Tribalmania gallery in Half Moon Bay (with transportation provided by limo from the Fort Mason Center).

I don’t have the exact count of participants at each event, but it appeared all were well attended and well received, especially considering that several events conflicted with others. I am not sure at this time how to gauge the effectiveness of so many events scheduled during that week, but personally I found it difficult to make the rounds, missing out on several openings and lectures that I would like to have attended. As much as I appreciated the effort, it may have been too ambitious to have so things going on in such a short time.

My impressions of the events I participated in:

The mini-symposium on Scientific Testing at the De Young was a big hit for me, although I had to duck out half way through to make it in time to sit on the panel on Collecting and the Law across the bridge at the Marin Center. I am fascinated by the use of science in helping institutions, dealers, and collectors with the process of determining authenticity and possible antiquity of tribal art artifacts. Expert discussions were provided on the use of X-Rays, Radiocarbon, visual examination, and conservation. What was made clear is that science, while extremely helpful, is only one tool in making these determinations and that additional scholarship and research was needed to confirm testing data.

I was asked to participate on the panel discussion concerning Collecting and the Law. Frankly, I had no idea what to expect and if there would be an opportunity to discuss issues I was most concerned with. The other panel members were: Kate Fitz Gibbon, a former dealer in Central Asian art, she served on the Cultural Property Advisory Committee to the President, and is currently a lawyer specializing in cultural property issues; Steven F. Gruel, a former prosecutor, now defense attorney; and Ann-Marie Holmes, supervisory wildlife inspector for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Attempts to include archeologists and other government officials for counter points to the cultural patrimony issues were not successful.

The primary discussion focused on the law as currently enacted and examples of recent enforcement were mentioned. What was obvious is the law is very complicated and several overlapping and occasionally contradictory laws apply. For example under Fish and Wildlife, you may have to deal with CITES (Convention on International trade in Endangered Species) if animal parts are imported, the Endangered Species Act if transported across state lines, and state law for sales within the state. One law may allow the sale while another one would not. On a hopeful note, Inspector Holmes, made it clear that their department was more than willing to answer any specific questions and to assist with advice and paperwork to make transportation and sales of permitted animal parts as easy as possible. Just give them a call!

My participation was negligible, because frankly I support the intended goals of the Endangered Species Act and other laws meant to protect threatened flora and fauna. My position is that the tribal art community should do everything possible to comply with these laws while finding ways to still possess and trade in authentic or antique cultural objects that may include animal parts, acquired legitimately and used by indigenous peoples. As far as the issues with cultural patrimony, there were no participants present opposed to our activities, therefore no debate was needed at this time (I will include a paper on my views on this subject in a separate posting on my blog in the near future).

I did preview the Bonhams and Butterfields auction, but was not able to attend the actual day of sale, as I was attending my own booth at the tribal art show. I don’t have a lot of details, but it is my understanding that Oceanic material sold well, but African art sales were flat. I believe about 60% of the lots were sold.

The SF Tribal & Textile Arts show brought out the usual suspects: most of the top dealers from around the world; many high end collectors; buyers of more modest means; academics; and the simply curious. As the premier tribal art show in America and arguably the world (because of its depth and breadth of material) most of the sellers go all out to offer their best pieces. I am always impressed by the quality of this show and certainly do my best to make an important presentation. The lobby held a well received showing of tribal themed photography, titled: “Other Worlds” by Bay Area resident and collector Mike Glad. Attendance was actually quite high, with a good showing at the opening, Friday, and Saturday.

Unfortunately, sales were low, generally less than last year and certainly down from two years ago. Very few exhibitors reported sales of any significance. Most sold modestly, with some reporting they barely covered expenses. There did seem to be a general malaise with most attendees, either due to perceived sticker shock or reluctance to spend because of continuing economic issues. I had several collectors comment that they could not find anything they liked that they could afford. Sure, there were many important pieces offered with big numbers, but I found plenty of material that I thought was more than reasonably priced. Certainly the last two years of economic downturn has kept a lid on price increases on all but the very best pieces, so this should have been a good buying opportunity. I guess most buyers are still nervous about spending any serious money until they see a major upturn to the economy.

I was able to attend the Marin Show for their Friday night opening and clearly this show is having problems attracting as many dealers as they had in the past. To make up for shortage of booths, the organizers increased the aisle space. Most of the participating sellers cram most of their material onto tables, walls, and display cases, making it look a bit like a flea market, so it would have made more sense to allocate most of the unused space to increasing their booth size and display area. That said it is an interesting show with lots of beautiful baskets, blankets, and jewelry. If you love American Indian art, this is the show for you! Sales were mixed, with one report noting that there were several high end sales and another report indicated overall sales were generally down this year.

Having both of these shows on the same weekend allowed for an interesting culture contrast. This was pinpointed by a good friend, while discussing how to bring the two groups together on the patrimony issue. It was noted (humorously) that the many of the sellers and buyers at the Marin Show, all Americans, selling American art, in America were likely to be conservative Republicans (possibly with some membership in militias and the ‘tea party’) while the majority of participants at the SF Tribal & Textile Arts show were a mix of liberal Democrats, intellectuals, world travelers, and Europeans (most likely all socialists) selling a potpourri of primarily non-American artifacts to an international audience. Despite those possible political differences, we all have at least one thing in common and that is the love of great tribal art!

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the events I could attend. I wish I had time to get to more of them so it would be helpful if next year the event organizers can arrange schedules with less overlap. Did it bring in more buyers? I’m not sure, although I do know that several attendees at the SF show told me they took advantage of the “two shows for one ticket price” and made their way to the Marin show for the first time. I know these things take time to work themselves out and I am willing to give it another chance.

However, if sales remain elusive, what is the future of these shows? The sellers go to great expense to exhibit. Besides the cost to display (including booths, lights, cases, pedestals, & stands) there are travel, hotel, and shipping charges, as well as the cost of goods and the time and money spent sorting through piles of junk to find the few gems that are offered. There is no better buying opportunity then to come to one of these annual shows, where collectors can see, discuss, and purchase so much great material under one roof and in such a short time. I just don’t get why buyers don’t understand the dynamics and importance of these shows. The show producers and the dealers are spending considerable sums of money up front to give buyers a rare chance to make smart decisions and add authentic high quality pieces to their collections. Basically, these shows are underwritten by dealers to bring the tribal art community together, with the intention of benefiting all interested parties. All that the sellers ask; please attend, look at the art, and make every effort to buy at this time.

The bottom line: if collectors are not buying, then dealers can’t afford to pay the expenses to exhibit. If too many sellers drop out, the organizers will have to cancel shows and the best opportunity for buyers to educate themselves and find good pieces will vanish.

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/