Which of the Following Is an Area That Produces Oceanic Art?

The art of Oceania — a guide for new collectors

Spanning some 1,800 cultures and languages, Oceanic art has long gone under the radar. Now, says specialist Victor Teodorescu, information technology is 'having a moment', with a number of spectacular pieces offered in our Paris auction on 29 June

What is Oceanic art?

The art of Oceania encompasses the artefacts created by the ethnic peoples of a geographic region spanning about a third of the globe's surface, from Tonga and Tahiti in Polynesia to the scattered islands of Melanesia and Micronesia. Comprising some 20,000 Pacific islands, and close to one,800 cultures and languages, Oceania is 1 of the almost diverse regions on the planet.

The fine art of Oceania falls into 2 major categories, corresponding to the years before and after Western contact. The stone paintings and engravings of the Australian Aboriginals, thought to be more than 40,000 years old, are the oldest surviving works of Oceanic art.

Bouclier shield, Murray River, Australia. Superlative: 48 in (122 cm). Guess: €35,000-50,000. Offered in African, Oceanic and Northward American Fine art on 29 June 2020 at Christie's in Paris

Today, the market place for Oceanic art is primarily concerned with works that were originally conceived for ceremonial use.

The artist-makers of Oceanic art are commonly unknown, so its market value is greatly influenced past provenance, condition and rarity.

What are the key styles and materials new collectors should know about?

The sheer scale of Oceania makes stylistic categorisation of its fine art a complex undertaking: artefacts vary in size and form depending on the islands from which they originate, and their materiality, texture and splendour differ co-ordinate to function, whether ritualistic or otherwise.

'It's important to find a mode that resonates with you,' says Victor Teodorescu, a specialist in African and Oceanic Art at Christie'south in Paris. 'Some new collectors may react to the graphic, and, at times, dream-like quality of Melanesian art, while others may react to the simple shapes and geometric forms of Polynesian art.'

Crafted for ritual purposes, a large proportion of Oceanic fine art is associated with spiritual properties and made from both hard and soft wood, depending on its geographic origin.

It can also be ornately embellished with detailed carving, feathers, beads, or shells. Clay, sperm whale ivory and stone are amid the other most ordinarily employed materials in Oceanic Fine art.

How did the market for Oceanic fine art develop in the West?

The market for Oceanic fine art was established in the late 18th to early 19th century when the offset explorers, traders and missionaries returned to Europe with ethnographic artefacts.

These artefacts were initially collected and exhibited every bit 'curiosities' across Europe, and afterwards acquired past museums and private collectors.

Past the offset of the 20th century, advanced artists and dealers in Berlin and Paris — including Matisse, Picasso, André Derain, Paul Guillaume, Charles Ratton, William Oldman and Guillaume Apollinaire — had go bang-up collectors of ethnographic objects, regarding them as aesthetic works in their own correct. The influence of ethnographic art on their style has get known as Primitivism.

What is the current state of the market?

'Oceanic art is enjoying its time in the spotlight,' says Teodorescu. 'Long-time collectors of African fine art are showing more interest in the field, while long-time collectors of Oceanic art are willing to pay more for exceptional pieces.'

A formalism roof effigy, Middle Sepik, Yuat river, Papua New Guinea, 1600-1890. Height: 41¾ in (106 cm). Sold for €two,505,500 on 19 June 2013 at Christie's in Paris

In June 2013, a dedicated Oceanic sale at Christie'due south in Paris saw a formalism roof figure from the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea (pre 1890) realise €two.5 1000000, more than than twice its high estimate. More recently, in 2017, the Vérité Collection achieved €xvi.vii 1000000 at Christie'south Paris — the highest performing single-possessor auction in Paris in a decade.

The Hawaiian god statue shown below was the highlight lot of that sale, realising €6.3 million — a world record for the most expensive Oceanic art object sold at auction. Some other highlight, a very rare black Uli statue from New Ireland, sold for circa €2.9 one thousand thousand.

Uli ancestor figure, New Ireland. Tiptop: 28¾ in (73 cm). Sold for €ii,970,000 on 21 November 2017 at Christie's in Paris

Co-ordinate to Teodorescu, this recent ascent in the market tin exist attributed to 4 primary factors: the rarity of pieces in infrequent condition to marketplace; the availability of documentary provenance; a widening trend for cross-category collecting; and a growing enthusiasm among both public institutions and individual collectors to re-evaluate the overlooked.

'Oceanic art has remained under the radar for many years,' he says, 'merely collectors are now beginning to realise that good quality pieces are by and large rarer than African works and that their estimates still lag behind African works at sale.'

The most popular regions

1. Polynesia

Teodorescu states that Polynesian fine art — covering 1,000 islands, including New Zealand, Easter Isle, the Cook Islands, Republic of the fiji islands, Marquesas Islands, Tonga and Hawaii — is currently the nigh in-need type of Oceanic art. Among its first European collectors were Helm James Cook and the artists and scientists aboard the HMS Effort, which gear up sail for Australia and New Zealand in 1768.

Hawaiian basin, Hawaiian Islands archipelago. Diameter: 14¼ in (36 cm). Estimate: €xv,000-25,000. Offered in African, Oceanic and N American Fine art on 29 June 2020 at Christie'due south in Paris

The connection between Polynesian art and the earliest discovery voyages of the South Pacific Ocean 'make information technology the oldest and the most historically rich fashion of Oceanic art on the market', says the specialist. 'It'due south also the rarest.' This is because much Oceanic art was destroyed in the early 19th century as traditional cultures embraced Christianity. 'And most of what has survived is now housed in public collections,' adds the specialist.

Amid the most coveted Polynesian artefacts are Easter Isle artefacts, Cook Island God staffs and Maori ornaments from New Zealand — sculptural woods carvings, such equally bowls, statues and clubs; objects associated with oceanic travel, including paddles and canoe prows; or whatsoever formalism object of artistic and cultural relevance.

The very rare Nukuoro figures, produced by the people of Nukuoro Atoll, a Polynesian enclave in Micronesia, are probable to also be at the top of any collector's list of Polynesian art.

The Hooper Moai Kavakava figure, Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Polynesia. Height: 17⅜ in (44 cm). Sold for €850,000 on 10 April 2019 at Christie's in Paris

Polynesia is generally known for its behemothic Easter Island rock Moai. Smaller wooden Easter Island sculptures, carved to honour ancestors, are very popular among collectors considering they 'symbolise one of the most emblematic Polynesian societies', says Teodorescu.

2. Melanesia

Melanesian art covers Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, the Torres Strait, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, and is today the second most highly coveted style of Oceanic art amid serious collectors.

Its decorative detailing served as a bang-up source of inspiration for many 20th-century Surrealist artists, including Roland Tual, Wifredo Lam and Max Ernst, as well every bit Surrealist poets, including Paul Eluard, Tristan Tzara and André Breton.

Masks from the region around the Sepik River in New Guinea, dating to the late 19th century, are amidst the virtually sought-subsequently objects from Melanesia.

The formalism wooden malangan from New Ireland — decorative ornaments or figures intricately carved for the bike of funeral rituals — are also very popular. Principally concerned with honouring and dismissing the souls of a specific individual, malangan carvings were usually destroyed, allowed to rot, or sold afterward service.

Malangan mask, New Republic of ireland, Papua New Guinea. Top: 60 in (101.5 cm). Estimate: €lxx,000-100,000. Offered in African, Oceanic and North American Art on 29 June 2020 at Christie's in Paris

In contrast to the intricately carved malangan from the north of New Ireland, Uli ancestor figures from cardinal New Ireland are less ornate. Hermaphroditic in form and believed to be imbued with the spiritual powers of the deceased leader, they were traditionally kept in ritual houses and paraded during lengthy fertility, initiation, or funerary rites.

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What should collectors be enlightened of?

A large proportion of the Oceanic art brought back to Europe by explorers is well documented in public archives. 'These traceable histories inspire many people to collect, besides as helping new collectors to understand what is former and what is new,' explains Teodorescu.

Merely Oceanic art is relatively scarce to market, then new collectors are advised to research, visit exhibitions and train themselves to recognise the multitude of unlike styles.

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Source: https://www.christies.com/features/The-art-of-Oceania-a-guide-for-new-collectors-9769-1.aspx

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