Dream Piece #20 - Boiken Mask -Sotheby’s Paris, 30 September 2002, Lot 8 Dream Piece #20 Boiken MaskSotheby’s Paris, 30 September 2002Lot 8Sold for 75,500 euros Yes, of course, I love the elegance of great Polynesian art as exemplified by the perfection of last month’s Austral Islands stool; the way its form beautifully manifested the relationship between a chief and the divine. That somehow the stool, with its flawless refinement, tells us more than a singular artistic achievement but also something important about the Austral Island people, their culture and beliefs. So, if that is the case in Polynesia what about this Boiken mask from New Guinea? Why does the brutal power of this mask appeal to me on a deeper level than the elegant perfection of Polynesian art? What is it about the Boiken culture’s world view and realm of spirits that reaches some even more elemental and primeval aspect of being human? It is important to remember that the folks that created this mask roughly 150 years ago left no written records, no tangible history the outside world recorded. What we have instead is this piece and other wonderful art crafted in wood, bone, cane and shell. I find this incredibly significant—that these objects on our walls and bookshelves are often the sole physical remains of a culture and belief system that no longer exists.1 This is it, this is what we have to represent and tell their story. So, this mask exemplifies all that I love about New Guinea art—its archaic, otherworldly, somewhat frightening property of humanity that we all know exists in every one of us. That something from such a remote a culture, from such a distant past, something so incredibly foreign still reminds us of our shared humanity. Back in September of 2002 when this mask came up at auction I was several years into being a fulltime dealer. But at the time I was getting nearly 100% of my material field collecting in Papua New Guinea—a lot in the Boiken area. So, I immediately appreciated the mask when the sales catalog arrived at my door and later applauded the 75,500 euros it achieved. It was both recognition and confirmation that I was not alone in admiring its strange beauty. While I did not buy the Boiken mask at Sotheby’s Paris in 2002; I did end up acquiring this beauty from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede eight years later—which is now residing comfortably in northern California’s Bay area. 1Of course the Boiken culture is alive and well but the culture that existed back when this mask was carved and danced is long gone.
