Indonesian Weapons and Tribal Artefacts at Auction in Köln
On 27 September a large collection of Indonesian weapons will go on the block at the Kunsthandel Klefish auction house in Köln. Such a large and diverse collection of Indonesian kris, swords, daggers and other blades has never before appeared in a single auction. A number of interesting ethnographic objects are also included in the sale, including small sculpture, Javanese masks and an extraordinary wood saddle.
Images, © 2008 Kunsthandel Klefisch GmbH
Nice Luzon Tribal Art Site
The Antique Luzon Tribal Art Connoisseurs Organisation (ALTACO) website is simple in presentation, but rich with images and information. I specialise in the arts of the Indonesian archipelago, and don’t often go exploring online for information on Luzon art, but I happened to stumble on this site today. The extensive photo archives contain hundreds of 19th and early 20th century images of everyday life and rituals, including some gruesome photos: a beheaded constable, the roasting of a dog for a head-taking ritual (trophy head in foreground), and so forth. The site, which appears to have been updated only occasionally since 2005, offers a wealth of information in the links, references and research topics pages, and features a “tribal arts issues” page which is relevant to tribal art in general, not only Luzon tribal art.
Joel Cooner : The Zen Texan
An in-depth interview with tribal art dealer Joel Cooner has just been posted on the Tribalmania website. Joel is known for his exquisite eye and his talent for arranging artefacts in such a way that the arrangements are works of art in their own right.
In the interview Cooner reveals his inspirations, and shares his advice for collectors. He talks straight, and with an earthy familiarity, as only a Texan can, mixing sophisticated art jargon with down-home metaphors. When you read the interview, imagine the words delivered with a warm Texan twang and you’ll get the feeling.
Remarkable Dzi @ Art Tibet
We are serious about ancient beads, and have a large collection which my partner, Bruno uses to compose striking necklaces which are eminently wearable. We study bead history, and often comb the web looking for images and information. Today I found an extraordinary ancient natron-etched Dzi bead that has just been added to the Asianart.com space of Art Tibet. Not only is it remarkably beautiful, it is remarkably large as well, at 13 cm. This is more than just a bead; it’s a powerful and iconic work of art.
Java Folk Art Furniture Book
My old friend David Smith is an enigmatic character who divides his time between three islands: Bali, Java and Vashon Island near Seattle. His business is furniture, and he’s been collecting antiques in Java for 20 years. As the supply of antiques in the field dwindled, David shifted his focus to furniture making. He has a workshop in the historic town of Blitar in East Java with about 100 local workers crafting furniture for his retail showroom in Seattle and for contract clients.
During two decades of antique-hunting in Java, David has been setting aside his favourite finds for his own enjoyment and has amassed an astounding collection. The pieces he prefers are folk-art furniture from the Ponorogo area, and this is his collection’s strongest suit. He is currently preparing an enormous coffee table book on the collection, to be published in 2009. Art dealer and author Bruce Carpenter is working on the text now.
The Puget Sound Business Journal ran an article on David last month, with a nice portrait, in which he looks – - as ever – - enigmatic.
Photos Dan Schlatter
San Francisco Asian Art Museum Supporters Visit Macan Tidur
The “Jade Circle” of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum visited Macan Tidur last week during a cultural tour of Bali. Accompanied by chief curator, Forrest McGill, they arrived dressed in Balinese adat clothing, looking elegant. It wasn’t “fancy dress day” for the Jade Circle, they were dressed to attend the royal cremation ceremony taking place in Ubud later that day.
During the morning, I delivered a lecture on diversity in Balinese textile traditions, which was followed by a lively discussion and some hands-on study of textiles. I had put up an entire wall of traditional Balinese textiles from my collection, which looked a bit like a souk, but certainly illustrated the tremendous diversity of Balinese textiles. From prada to ider-ider with talismanic drawings, the variety of weavings draped on the gallery hanging bars was dizzying.
Your Coffee Table Wants This Tome
My friend and colleague, Bruce Carpenter just co-wrote a fine tome on the art of the Batak of North Sumatra, with Achim Sibeth, a leading scholar of Batak culture. The photographs are very good, and the collection which was the basis of the book is extraordinary in its breadth and quality. Bruce Carpenter is a remarkably diligent fellow, who studies, collects, advises and writes about the arts of the Indonesian archipelago with almost maniaical fervour.
Parcours de Paris: Be There
The Parcours des Mondes is one of the most anticipated art fairs in the world for collectors of African, Oceanic, American Indian, pre-Columbian and Asian Art. Held every September in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood of Paris, the fair brings together over sixty exhibitors from around the world. This year, with new management by TAM (Tribal Art Management), the high standard of quality that Parcours is known for will rise further still. We understand that vetting of objects for authenticity will be more rigourous than ever, so no caveats for emptors here.
Brussels Oriental Art Fair 2008
The Brussels Oriental Art Fair (BOAF) is an annual event that takes place in early June, concurrent with the Brussels Non-European Art Fair (BRUNEAF) and the Brussels Ancient Art Fair (BAAF). All three fairs are centred on the Sablon district of Brussels, which is a divine place to spend a day, or a lifetime, even.
My partner Bruno and I have been exhibitors in the fair together for a few years, but this year he was on his own, as I was too busy in Bali with building projects. He reported that the weather was dreary and the sales rather dreary also. Except for the auction at Berger, across the Place du Grand Sablon from Bruno’s gallery space for the fair. Read more…
Southeast Asian Ceramics at the Sackler
Photos ©The Smithsonian Institute 2008
Clay vessels have been part of the everyday lives of the people of Southeast Asia for four millenia. Wherever there have been people, there have been pots, and the diversity of styles reflects the complexity of this region’s cultural heritage over time and across great distances.
“Taking Shape,” an exhibition of some 200 examples dating from prehistory to the present is on now at the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC. And there’s a spiffy online gallery, too, with images of every piece in the show. The collection was given to the Smithsonian over a period of years by brothers Victor and Osborne Hauge and their wives. What the Sackler site doesn’t say is that the Hauges’ history as collectors was an interesting one.