Barbier-Mueller Art as Legacy Auction March 2024 Report Barbier-Mueller Art as Legacy Auction March 2024 Report By Michael Hamson Well, all I can say is you should’ve been there. We all knew the Barbier-Mueller auction at Christies Paris was going to be monumental and break all sorts of records. So I wanted to be there in person, to witness something historical that would be talked about and referred to for decades. But that was not all, there was a more personal reason I wanted to be present. One of the objects being offered was once one of mine. Lot 52 was the great Astrolabe Bay mask I acquired from the Wartburg Theological Seminary and had sold to John Paul Barbier-Mueller just a few months before his death in 2016, a mask Laurence Mattet, managing director of the Barbier-Mueller Museum, referred to as “Jean Paul’s last crush.” I felt an almost paternal responsibility to shepherd the mask to its new home. Jean Paul and Monique Barbier-Mueller That afternoon was thankfully cool in Paris as the Christie’s saleroom was packed, standing room only. After almost five hours of bidding the results exceeded everyone’s expectations with a sales total over 73 million euros including 13 objects selling for more than a million euros, two of which were Oceanic. I was told that nearly 2500 people visited the pre-sale exhibition, 400 collectors registered for the sale with over 150 of them actively bidding and over 50 bought at least one work. According to Alexis Maggiar, International head of African, Oceanic and Native American art at Christies, the Barbier Mueller auction was the third highest total ever, in any category, for Christie’s France behind only the Yves Saint-Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy Collection sales. The Barbier-Mueller sale consisted of 100 lots of African and Oceanic art of startling quality. Where a traditional high-end auction would include a small handful of truly exceptional pieces, this sale was packed start to finish with blockbusters, iconic pieces that had nurtured many of our appreciation for tribal art. My initial thought was, Dear God, can our relatively small market handle this huge slug of obvious massive value? Yes, with apparent ease. The downstairs main saleroom was full to capacity, with a row of sales associates on the left monitoring internet bids and a long row of people manning the phones on the right--where the bidding tended to end up for the final stages of the most expensive objects. It was here, at these highest bidding ranges, that the two auctioneers showed their prowess. Often after the initial flurry of bidding settled down it would become a slow-motion slugfest between two determined foes pushing the price upwards in 200,000 euro increments for top pieces. What would start out energetically would end up heavy going, almost tortured, with a Christie’s associate murmuring into the phone while the whole room waited for the collector’s response—to bid or drop out. These decisions were rarely quick, nor should they be. I am sure the prices went well above what those bidders ever envisioned spending. One can only imagine what was going through their minds as the price kept climbing by millions above what they may have originally thought reasonable or fair. I doubt these were economic calculations at this stage. I often hear it is pride, that it boils down to two competitive rich guys that hate to lose. That of course could be true but I think in this case, with this sale of Barbier-Mueller objects, something else might be at play. I asked Victor Teodorescu, Director of Christie’s Paris department of Africa, Oceania and Americas department for some personal thoughts on what made this collection so desirable and significant. He wrote the following: “I grew up as a young specialist with the Barbier-Mueller catalogues & collection as reference, learning the local geography and culture from them, ethnic names, attributions & all complexities related to our field. If I had a constant guide, something that came closest to a vademecum, this was the Barbier-Mueller collection.” I had feelings like Victor’s, in that, because most of these Barbier-Mueller pieces had been featured in important and beautifully produced publications the objects had become iconic--setting important standards as to what is the best, the finest and most elegant. As many of you probably do, I would page through these books time and time again over the years with certain pieces becoming ingrained in my mind as, for example, what a great Tami Island mask should look like. As such, these objects become part of your own personal collecting development and history. They don’t just represent their original owners and their beliefs but also something important in ourselves, how we appreciate, understand and judge the art--what the finest could and should look like. The Barbier-Mueller objects have their own inherent quality—age, beauty, etc.—and in addition an almost nostalgic element where they represent something personal to the collector, a crucial step in their development of connoisseurship, the physical manifestation of all those quiet moments staring at its photo in their catalogs. A part of the collector’s life that could be recaptured by owning the object that inspired that growth. Maybe these thoughts were not going on in the collector’s mind as he or she decided to spend WAY more than they ever imagined on the piece. Yet, in those long pauses in between bids, as the whole room and all those watching online waited, some internal battle had to be waging in each of their heads, something more powerful than money pushed these buyers to say Yes, Bid, into the phone. It could not just be about finances or aesthetics, it had to be even more than passion, maybe because masterpieces of art are immortal and owning them is our chance to tie oneself to that immortality? I wish I knew. Highlights Lot 5, New Ireland Kulap Figure, ex. Pitt Rivers Museum Highlights, at least for me, start with lot 5, the New Ireland chalk Kulap figure formerly in the Pitt Rivers Museum. Normally my take on these figures is that they are very rare but often lack the expression and presence to make them super compelling. Well, this one was enormously compelling in person. The sure scale of the piece is amazing, at 72 cm (28 3/8”) it seemed massive in person with real volumes. The expression was clear and engaging with the fiber headband and tapa skirt also helped bring the figure to life. I bid on this piece but knew once I had seen it in person there was no chance. The lot eventually fetched 252,000 Euros including buyer’s premium—far, far eclipsing the previous top price paid for a New Ireland kulap figure which was 18,000 Euros paid in 2012. Looking back at past auction results for kulap figures nothing, absolutely nothing came close to the quality of the Barbier-Mueller example—as such, the 252,000 Euros paid might be considered a bargain. Lot 7, Tolai Dance Mask Lot 7 was a very rare Tolai dance mask from East New Britain. This type of mask, with true 19th century origins, comes up maybe once a generation. It was a beautiful example in perfect condition that should have reached higher than its 63,000 Euro price including premium—but ultimately it didn’t matter as after the hammer had fallen, Magali Melandri, head of the Oceania collections at the Musée du Quai Branly stood up and claimed the mask for the French government on behalf of the Quai Branly Museum—the first of five pieces, all Oceanic, to be acquired by the museum. I applaud their efforts to keep strengthening the museum’s collection. Lot 20, Māori Step, ex. James Hooper Collection This was a sleeper. I did not have this Māori step on my list to bid on but once I saw it in person I was immediately impressed. While only 15.5 cm (6 1/8” in length) it felt larger in real life and was shockingly beautiful. When it hammered at 42,000 Euros (52,920 Euros with buyer’s premium) I knew this was a steal—which as you can imagine was a rare occurrence for the day. Image 5—Lot 30, Southern Abelam Figure I have to admit being a bit shocked by the 579,600 Euro price this Abelam figure reached. It is from the Southern Abelam area where the sculptural style is often more refined and elegant than most other Abelam objects but even so this figure is surely one of the very best. I have mentioned before what I call my “field collector’s bias” that potentially overly values the ancient, archaic, and unusual. So, while I prefer something more primal, this figure absolutely smashed the previous record price of 73,000 Euros for an Abelam male figure sold at Christie’s Paris in 2012—showing that today’s market values the “art” and not necessarily the brutal spiritual intensity favored by yours truly. Image 6—Lot 33, Torres Straits Mask We all knew this fantastic Torres Straits mask would be the top Oceanic object to sell. There was a definite buzz in the room as the lot came up but curiously the bidding started slow at an opening bid of 800,000 Euros. But the mask gained momentum after that until it became a long drawn-out battle between someone in the room and on the phone with finally the room bidder winning at a remarkable level of 5,570,000 Euros with premium. Torres Straits masks are exceedingly rare and this was the best to ever come to auction. It was worth every cent of its final price. Lot 47, Tami Island Fish Bowl When lot 47 came up the Christie’s auctioneer rightly called this Tami Island bowl charming. Fish bowls are not unusual in the corpus of wooden dishes produced in the last 150 years or so and of these this could conceivably be called the best. The slope of the face is surely elegant and the wide-open eye and sheepish, almost embarrassed expression is delightful. The elongated body edged top and body by delicately ridged fins is also perfectly done. What I admire most is the tilt of the tail giving the fish movement, as if darting away from an aggressive prey. Yet, with all this beauty and charm I just cannot understand its 630,000 Euro final price. A bowl such as this would not have held any huge significance to the folks who made and used it besides probably being an heirloom cherished for its personal history and mischievous craftsmanship. I guess this former field collector wished the market rewarded significance rather than charm. Such as… Lot 52, Astrolabe Bay Mask This Astrolabe Bay mask is one of the best pieces I have ever owned and was in large part why I flew to Paris for the auction. I wanted to be there in person when it was sold; somehow, I felt a responsibility to shepherd it along to its new life, almost as a father walks his daughter down the aisle during her wedding—with pride, sadness and joy. As collectors we all know that these objects are not mere things but complex repositories of histories, conflict, desire, passion and longing. This particular mask was part of a select group of masterpieces I was able to acquire from the Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque Iowa back in 2015--as one colleague called it “a coup of a lifetime.” The mask was estimated at 400,000 to 600,00 Euros and I knew I had a slim chance of actually winning but wanted to usher it along the lower reaches just in case I got lucky. In the end I came shockingly close and was the underbidder to its final price of 604,000 Euros. While this amount is for sure a lot of money—the fifth highest ever paid for an Oceanic mask at auction—it is well below what the object is worth. Sure, I am biased but having owned this mask for years I had a vested interest in comparing it to all known examples and this, in my opinion, was arguably the best in the world—aesthetics, age, ritual use, spiritual presence—all of it. I fully expected this mask to reach two million Euros as that is what the piece warranted. I applaud its new owner; he got a good deal. Lot 78, Huon Gulf/Rai Coast Mask While I can’t say I had a realistic chance of getting my old Astrolabe Bay mask back, I really did want to acquire this ancient Huon Gulf/Rai coast mask. It is one I had drooled over for decades as it featured prominently in my dog-eared copy of Barbier-Mueller’s “Arts des Mers du Sud” book from 1998 that I have used as reference for my entire career. The mask is ancient, precontact, stone-carved with faint but beautiful remains of white, red and green pigments. In person before the auction, I was able to see its backside for the first time and its dimpled, roughhewn surface confirmed the antiquity promised by its frontside. I bid to 75,000 Euros and regret not going further as it hammered at 80,000 (100,800 with buyer’s premium). This was one of my dream pieces and I kick myself for not trying harder in the moment. I applaud the new owner of this mask, a masterpiece at a great price. Conclusion There were of course many, many more highlights and I of course have focused on the Oceanic art even though at the sale it was the African art that truly kicked ass. Since returning from the sale I have been asked how this historic auction affects the tribal art market moving forward. This is a good question without a clear answer. My first impression is, unfortunately, I don’t think there will be much trickledown effect from these massive results. That the stratosphere of both the objects presented and folks bidding rarely venture down to the mortal world of dealer websites or tribal art shows. I doubt the individual or institution that paid $6 million for the Torres Straits mask will ever darken my door at the annual Parcours des Mondes exhibition in Paris. But what I have witnessed from many of my clients is a happy shock and admiration at the results. A realization that Oceanic art can compete at auction with some of the best art ever produced in the West. This is no mean feat and was viscerally felt by all those in attendance that afternoon and when the last piece was hammered sold, after nearly five hours of unrelenting bidding, the whole room burst in to a long, long applause for the Christie’s team that pulled it off. One of those was Victor Teodorescu who I will give the last word to: “This sale was by far the largest gathering of aficionados in our field that I have ever helped orchestrate and it proved a great commercial, logistical and emotional success. So of course, I feel a lot of gratitude that we were able to be at the height of the moment and that we managed to match the historical importance of the event. It was great to see so much excitement about our field coming from people outside it. Everyone in our field knew the collection hence there was no surprise to this. But I never expected that so many people would appreciate these works without any background knowledge, and some of them would start their collecting at this sale.”
