I recently watched an interesting video by Ingo from About Africa and the Rest of the World, in which he asks a question that comes up quite regularly among collectors: is African and Oceanic art something in which you can invest, or is it really only a market for people who collect because they love the objects? I found his… Read More »African Art: A Bad Investment — or a Golden Age for Collectors?
One of the most difficult things to explain to somebody who is beginning to collect African art is that the greatest danger is not necessarily buying an obvious fake. The more subtle problem is that there is a considerable amount of African-looking material on the market today which was never made as traditional African art in the first place, but… Read More »The African Art Market: Why So Many Antiques Are Not What You Think
Recently I revisited a fascinating postcard from the Loango coast, dating from around 1910. At first sight, it appears to confirm exactly what many collectors hope to see: African masks and figures photographed “in the field,” offered in an open-air market during the colonial period. For many collectors, such early documentation immediately creates reassurance. The older the publication or photograph,… Read More »African Art Authenticity, Colonial Postcards, and the Problem of “Made for the Market” Objects
Hi African Art collector , Some dealers would like you to believe that all African art is rare and priceless. But we should remember that this is the art of an entire continent, home to hundreds of cultures and carving traditions — meaning there is truly something meaningful to collect at every level. While many of the pieces I offer… Read More »Collecting African Art Without Regret — Even in a Changing Market
