Art_Market_-_February_2016_

Laurent Dodier is a third generation tribal art dealer.

He was taken quite early by the mystery of art found

in these objects coming from distant and fascinating

cultures. His grandfather initiated the family’s journey

into tribal art in 1935, and later his father opened a

gallery in 1961 in the city of Avranches. His Christmas

and birthday gifts were small amulets from different

tribal groups. Since he could not see himself being

separated from these mysterious objects, he decided to

live among them permanently by turning this into his

profession. Laurent’s explanation of his way of life, his

reactions to these objects and his dealership approach

are best explained in his own words:

“I cannot conceive of a day without a discussion about

art, or without an emotion in reaction to an object.

Tribal art objects awaken a real physical attraction in

me, a need to touch them. It’s not just a visual sensation

• all of my senses are involved. With experience and
  the passage of time, I have become more demanding


• more difficult! When I first see a mask or a fetish, I
  try to stay lucid, not to let myself get carried away. I
  gather together my knowledge, and I analyze. Once
  I have established an object’s authenticity, I go on to
  inspect the quality of its manufacture. Is it an artwork or
  a craft piece? The question is important inasmuch as the
  answer determines the piece’s value.

We dealers are only intermediaries. The objects existed

before we did, and they will continue to exist long after

we do not. Our task is to pull them from anonymity,

and to give them a place in collections, both public and

private. The dealer’s role is to accompany the collector

in his quest, whether on a small or larger scale. We are

not the creators of the African mask or the Oceanic

fetish we sell, but with the advice and counsel we offer

our clients, we can create something else: collections.

Our role is also to get younger people to collect. I

personally participate in a number of symposiums

whose purpose is to sensitize the public to art, and

I speak in schools to “initiate” young children to this

world. I am convinced that I can inspire them, and that

some of them will become real collectors.

One thing we have to work on nowdays is cleaning up

the tribal market, identifying the abuses which take

place, and putting a stop to the circulation of forgeries

and fakes. That having been said, I remain very optimistic

about the market’s future. It’s a very recent one, but

it continues to blossom and grow. While during the

interwar period there were very few aficionados, interest

in tribal art has grown considerably since then. More is

also known about it, an ever-increasing number of useful

and informative publications are available, and tribal art

objects definitively acquired status as legitimate works

of art.

Important changes are currently taking place in the

OBAMBA RELIQUARY FIGURE

Gabon, Region of the High Ogooue,
Kota people
Late 19th century
Thick piece of wood plated with
decorated copper and brass leaves and
strips
H. : 52,2 cm

The concave face is divided into four
quarters of copper ornamented with
straight strips. Diamond-shaped eyes
are stapled on both brass stripes
crossing in the middle of the face. The
mouth is smiling. The very long nose is
triangular. The crescent and the sides
are decorated with stripes and cauris –
the pendants attached to the sides are
cylindrical. The neck is decorated. The
patina of the wood base is strong and
partly eroded because of the use. On
the reverse, a motif is carved in relief.

The devotion to relics of dead people
is one of the characteristics of many
beliefs in Gabon. The ancestors are
made all the more present when their
bones are preciously preserved – with
specific rituals. The use of the bone box
was widespread in Congo and Gabon,
especially in the so-called Kota peoples.
These peoples are the only ones of the
area that used a metal decor covering
almost all the wood structure. These
kinds of portable graves were displayed
on many occasions – for the initiation
of young people, the families of the
clan would gather and bring their
reliquaries. In other events, the chief
of the clan's behavior was supposed
to favor the fertility of women and the
fertility of the earth, to make hunting or
fishing successful, or help with healing.

Provenance: formerly in a private
Rennes collection.

Exhibited in Rennes: "Collecteurs
d’âmes" musée de Beaux-Arts,
décembre 2006 / mars 2007