In recent years, niche fairs have become an increasingly important feature of the art world calendar, both in London and globally.
Mutter the words “frieze” or “masterpiece” and the art world is sent into a flurry, anticipating what the world’s best dealers will bring to the table. But it is the smaller fairs, such as Tribal Art London, London Antique Rug and Textile Art Fair, and the one that started it all, the London Original Print Fair, which have hooked on to the ever-growing trend for a more concentrated, smaller-scale fair.
Tribal Art London has grown alongside this surge of niche fairs. Now in its eighth year, it started in a small Portobello Road gallery space before moving to Cork Street in 2009.
Photo: David Godfrey
Last year it expanded to fill the Mall Galleries, while this year the fair boasts the largest number of exhibitors since it was first created.
Co-organiser and founder Bryan Reeves, a dealer in tribal art for more than 25 years, says that the present size of the event, with 18 dealers, provides the “right demand for the market, with 75pc of the dealers being UK-based”.
The London fair “reflects the market” because there are pieces for both “collectors starting out” as well as for more seasoned collectors.
With a refined number of dealers, this and indeed other niche fairs, can focus on delivering the best fair for their specialist market. Tribal Art London, therefore, succeeds in offering its clientele tribal masks, textiles, jewellery, arms and amour, many of which are museum quality with an excellent provenance.
Photo: David Godfrey
The fair cleverly takes place just before the opening of Paris’s Parcours Des Mondes, which since 2002 has lead the international scene for tribal art. The placement of Tribal Art London in the calendar ensures that dealers from across Europe, America and elsewhere will be sure to make a stop at the ever-growing London fair on their collecting pilgrimage to Paris.
One of the fair’s exhibitors and a co-organiser of Tribal Art London, Adam Prout, has enjoyed watching the fair “grow and grow as it becomes more and more exciting”.
“Every year there is a different audience,” says Mr Prout, “and with that audience we gain different ideas for the next year.”
Mr Prout, who specialises in Native American and Australian among other tribal arts, says that there was “a need for so long” for a fair such as Tribal Art London which is more accessible in comparison to Parcours Des Mondes.
Tribal art evolution
The tribal art market has been one of the most interesting sectors to watch evolve.
With the loss of tribal cultures and the need for careful restoration of wooden pieces, artworks in this industry have become increasingly rare. Fairs are a great way of ensuring the success of this booming section of the art industry.
Photo: David Godfrey
The arrival of tribal art in the first half of the 20th century awoke something in the Western world. The rich and cultural diversity of these beautifully shaped objects captured the eye of the collector and art lover.
Picasso and Braque, to name two, were among the many artists who were so inspired by the abstractions of African sculptures and masks that tribal art carved the way for the birth of cubism.
Tribal art has even featured in some of the 20th century’s greatest literature: an image of tribal art appears in the pages of DH Lawrence’s Women in Love, the European protagonists excited by the ritualisation and natural element of the art form.
Since the Sixties, when the tribal art market was redefined and considered a fine art, recognised masterpieces have emerged.
Photo: David Godfrey
The rise in the tribal art market bears resemblance to the rise of the Chinese art market, with African buyers keen to buy pieces from their heritage, particularly as parts of sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing an economic growth.
In 2008, the famous Baga serpent figure, which was part of a private family collection in New York, was sold at Sotheby’s for £2.1m, which set a new record for tribal art.
The beauty of the tribal art market is that, although these incredible figures can be reached, tribal antiques can also be bought for a few hundred pounds or less.
•Tribal Art London will run from 3-5 September 2015 at The Mall Galleries, London, with a private viewing on 2 September. For more information visit tribalartlondon.com.
Check out more tribal art at barnebys.co.uk
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