Among the Parcours des Mondes exhibitors is the Galerie Patrick Frolich from Zurich, which offering is a 19th century Dogon Samana mask from Mali, priced at €75,000.
The Parcours des Mondes is France’s main event for tribal art or Art Premiers. This year will be its 21st edition, running from September 6-11, and the network of streets in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, where the galleries hold this event, will be busy with an international mix of visitors to look, discuss and buy an equally global selection of tribal artworks.
True to its name, the pieces on show at the Parcours come from all corners of the globe: Africa, Australasia, Oceania, the Americas and Asia.
The main tribal art element of the Parcours is complemented by an extra small selection of galleries showing Asian art and Antiquities.
Mix of countries
This year there are over 40 exhibitors made up of the usual mix of resident galleries and those who take space here to show their stock.
The majority, over half, come from France with Belgium, another stronghold for the tribal art market, represented by eight dealers. Spain, Italy, the UK and Switzerland are other European countries involved, as well as the US and Australia.
Some of the galleries have exhibitions themed around a particular type of object or geographical region; others are showing new acquisitions and some are mixing classic pieces with Contemporary art.
Visitors to the Parcours des Mondes may also want to visit the museum at the nearby Monnaie de Paris on the Quai de Conti.
Until September 25 it is holding an exhibition titled Monnaies & Merveilles (Currencies and Wonders) showing the different types of materials used as currency for commercial transactions around the world. Set out in the form of a large cabinet of curiosities, over 200 artefacts are on display ranging from feather currency rolls from the Santa Cruz Islands to bracelets from the Ivory Coast and textiles from Timor.
Mali mask
Among the Parcours des Mondes exhibitors is the Galerie Patrick Frolich from Zurich specialising in African and Oceanic art. It is exhibiting at the Galerie GNG on the rue Visconti and among the works it will be offering is a 19th century Dogon Samana mask from Mali, pictured above.
The mask, which is made from wood decorated with encrusted patina and pigments and stands 19½in (50 cm) high, has come from a private collection in the US and has an earlier provenance to the French dealer/collector and author Jacques Kerchache.
It will be priced at €75,000.
Hooked by tribal art
Michael Hamson Oceanic art from the US is selling this Iatmul suspension hook from the Blackwater river region of the Middle Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, priced at €250,000.
There is a sizeable Oceanic element to the Parcours des Mondes and among the specialist dealers in this field is Michael Hamson Oceanic art from the US which will be exhibiting at the Galerie Amida on the rue Jacques Callot.
One of his highlights is this Iatmul suspension hook which comes from the Blackwater river region of the Middle Sepik River in Papua New Guinea.
The pre-contact piece, which dates from the 19th century and measures 5ft 8in (1.72m) in height, has a provenance to Charles Ratton, Paris and Harry Franklin, Beverly Hills, and is priced at €250,000.
