19 - Figure d’ancêtre — Région côtière ou Nagum Boiken, Nord du Sepik, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée

Figure d’ancêtre — Région côtière ou Nagum Boiken, Nord du Sepik, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée Early 20th century or earlier Carved wood and pigments H. 35.5 cm Height with base: 41 cm From the famous collection of Charles Ratton, this ancestral figure was acquired in Paris at the Loudmer Arts Primitifs auction on June 27, 1991, by Georges Goldfayn (1933–2019), a singular figure in the Parisian literary, cinematic, and artistic circles in Paris. A close associate of André Breton, Georges Goldfayn frequented the Surrealist circle as early as the 1950s and, in late 1952, helped found the À l’Étoile scellée gallery, located at 11 rue du Pré-aux-Clercs. Breton served as the gallery’s artistic director, while Goldfayn handled its administration. Under Breton’s influence, he began building a significant collection of Oceanic art and North American sculptures at that time, which he continued to expand until the end of his life. This sculpture has thus remained in his collection since its acquisition in 1991. With remarkable sculptural power, this figure conveys a conception of the ancestor in which the sheer scale of the forms becomes a language in itself. Attributed to the northern Sepik coastal region and, stylistically, to the Nagum Boiken of the Prince Alexander Mountains, it is distinguished by its treatment in the round, its solid volumes, and its powerfully accentuated curves. Provenance - Charles Ratton Collection, Paris - Loudmer Auction, “Primitive Arts,” June 27, 1991 - Georges Goldfayn Collection - In Paris since that date - French private collection