Tribal Art: India/Nepal and Papua New Guinea

Works collected by the American anthropologist John Charles (Jack) Edler between 1970 and 1978, or from his personal collection and transferred to the current owner

NO RESERVE PRICE

A note from the collector of works from Papua New Guinea:

I first became interested in the art of Papua New Guinea in the early 2000s after realizing how difficult it was to find authentic pieces of African art. While studying the history of colonization, I realized that Oceania—and in particular the highlands of Papua—were discovered only a few decades ago, that they remain very difficult to access, and that their cultures were preserved until nearly the end of the 20th century.

The selection is vast, but I have decided to focus my attention on the statuary of the Kwoma, Mayo, and Nukuma ethnic groups—farming peoples of the upper-middle Sepik region—whose works are linked to yam cultivation and fertility spirits, a sort of counterpart to the Lobi people of West Africa.

My choice is not guided by any particular artistic research; it imposes itself on me as an obvious truth that confronts the Western world’s lack of awareness, its infinite capacity for environmental destruction and endless exploitation of natural resources, with peoples who live in harmony with their environment and hold fertility in the highest regard, as a gift to be honored throughout life. A world where art is everywhere, with creations most often being collective (...)

For about ten years, I maintained regular contact with John Charles Edler, an American anthropologist who is himself the author of several works in the field and who had been collecting on-site since the late 1960s. Our exchanges focused primarily on Kwoma, Mayo, and Nukuma statuary.

In 2008/09, the Quai Branly Museum organized the exhibition “Rouge Kwoma” and invited three artists from the village of Bangwis: Raymond Marek Kowspi and his two sons. Fortunately, I was able to acquire three original paintings by Raymond Marek Kowspi, which were created at the very time Maxime Rovere was on-site preparing the Paris exhibition with the artists.

My ultimate goal with these acquisitions was to create a dialogue between these objects and the vision of contemporary photographers, but I ran out of time; institutional support would likely have been necessary to achieve a high-quality presentation.

That is why this collection will feature three unique original silver gelatin prints by Michel Bertrand.

Unfortunately, I was unable to do more for these magnificent objects; it is my hope that each of them may find a home in a collection capable of promoting them as they deserve.

EXHIBITION:

By appointment only (01 42 24 80 76) at Calade de Bourdaric - 07150 Vallon Pont d'Arc

DELIVERY:

By appointment only (01 42 24 80 76), must be scheduled before July 16, 2026

Items are to be picked up at Calade de Bourdaric - 07150 Vallon Pont d'Arc

For your information, we have obtained a quote for consolidated shipping to Paris for 5 items - €450 (excluding tax)