Ethnographic Art Auction
Monday, April 6, 2009, 10am

Main Gallery, 2751 Todd Street, Alameda, CA
Driving Directions

Preview:

Friday, April 3, 10am - 5pm
Saturday, April 4, 10am - 5pm
Sunday, April 5, 9am - 4pm
Day of sale, beginning at 9am
& by appointment

The April Ethnographic Auction at Michaan's is highlighted by four exceptional polychrome pottery jars from Acoma and Zuni pueblos. These large and colorful storage jars hail from the “historic period” of Native American Indian pueblo pottery, circa 1875 to 1940 before the artists began signing their names on their creations. These masterpieces are in near perfect condition despite their fragility and age.

As in the past, Michaan's is again pleased to offer in this sale an extensive selection of several hundred African tribal artworks from the estate of scholar and art collector Jean-Pierre Hallet. Born in 1920 to Belgian colonists deep in the Congo region, Hallet grew up to love and care for the people of Africa, and he became the champion of the Efe or Pygmy people of the Ituri forest of Central Africa. He is best known for his popular books on life and culture in Africa: “Congo Kitabu”, “Pygmy Kitabu” and “Animal Kitabu” (“kitabu” means book in Swahili) . In the 1970's, Mr. Hallet created the Pygmy Fund, a charitable organization dedicated to saving the Efe Pygmies from extinction and preserving their way of life with self-reliance and dignity. There are about 30 lots in this sale sold to benefit the Pygmy Fund.