H; A New York Private Collection | Cole Harrell | 2020

H ______________________________________________ A New York Private Collection

Of all the joys the art world brings, meeting and commiserating with collectors who share a passion and have dedicated themselves to its full exploration must certainly be a highlight; meeting the owners of the present collection was certainly no exception. Although incredibly discreet, our conversations revealed their deep passion for classical African art and a sophisticated understanding of authenticity, provenance and beauty.

Between regaling me with stories of a bygone era of New York collecting, they described each piece in their collection with the utmost fondness.

This couple began their collecting journey while she was a volunteer for the Museum for African Art, then on New York City’s 68th St. Through the museum’s various exhibitions, lectures, and organized trips to Europe, the couple began to cultivate relationships with many of the leading dealers of the period, both in America and Europe. A portfolio of few, but well chosen, works began to emerge (a seminal acquisition being the Kuhn Makonde mask, now widely exhibited and reproduced). As the collection grew, so did their philanthropic instinct; the couple enthusiastically loaned works to several exhibitions and scholarly publications.

With these works having not been seen in over thirty years, it is with great enthusiasm that I present H; A New York Private Collection as part of our summer programming.

Cole Harrell July 2020

CATALOG

Anthropomorphic Face Mask, bakorogi Unidentified Loma Artist, Guinea-Liberia Wood, metal alloys, cotton fiber, beads H: 28cm PROVENANCE Sulaiman Diane, New York H Collection, New York, acquired from the above, circa 1990 Cf: Bonhams, New York, 13 November 2007, lot 251

PIC OF DOGON

Hermaphroditic Figure, nommo Unidentified Dogon Artist, Mali Wood, organic material H: 29.5cm PROVENANCE Maurice Shapiro (1928-1993), New York Christie’s, New York, 11 November 1993, lot 37 H Collection, New York, acquired at the above sale

Anthropomorphic Female Staff Finial, tefalipitya Unidentified Malinke Artist, Burkina Faso/ Mali Wood, palm oil, organic material H: 25cm PROVENANCE H Collection, New York, acquired circa 1990

Anthropomorphic Face Mask, igu Unidentified Ijaw Artist, Niger Delta Wood, pigment, alloy, organic material H: 39cm PROVENANCE Collected in situ by Charles D. Miller III, St. James, New York H Collection, New York, acquired from the above, 1990 Accompanied by a period photograph and receipt from Miller.

Anthropomorphic Female Mask, amawalu Unidentified Afikpo Artist, Southeast Nigeria Wood, pigment H: 50cm PROVENANCE Rene Van der Straete Gallery, Brussels H Collection, New York, acquired from the above, 23 June 1991 A period photograph and Van der Straete invoice accompany this mask.

Anthropomorphic Standing Figure, mupo Unidentified Bafo Artist, Cameroon Wood, organic material H: 20cm PROVENANCE H Collection, New York, acquired in Belgium, circa 1980

Zoomorphic Hunting Charm, kalunga Unidentified Bembe Artist, D.R. Congo Wood, kaolin clay, traces of camwood powder H: 21cm PROVENANCE Collection of Arthur Speyer (1894-1958), Berlin, circa 1920 Harry A. Franklin (1904-1983), Los Angeles Sotheby’s, New York, The Harry A. Franklin Family Collection of African Art, 21 April 1990, lot 393 Collection of Ruth and Ernst Anspach (1914-2002), New York, by 1994 H Collection, New York, acquired from the above, 1994

Anthropomorphic Female Power Figure, lupingu lwa bwimpe Unidentified Bene-Lulua Artist, D.R. Congo Wood, kaolin clay, camwood powder H: 16cm PROVENANCE Lucien Van de Velde, (b. 1933), Antwerp, Belgium H Collection, New York, acquired from the above, February 1992

Anthropomorphic Helmet Mask, lipiko Unidentified Makonde Artist, Mozambique Wood, beeswax, natural pigment H: 30cm PROVENANCE Collection of Eve and Jonathan Lowen, London The Kuhn Collection, California, by 1983 Sotheby’s, New York, The Kuhn Collection of African Art, 20 November 1991, lot 124 H Collection, New York, acquired 1991 LITERATURE Cole (Herbert), I am Not Myself; the Art of African Masquerade, 1985: #82 Robbins (Warren M.) and Nooter (Nancy Ingram), African Art in American Collections, Survey 1989, Washington/ London: Smithsonian Institution Press 1989:515, #1353 Robbins (Warren M.) and Nooter (Nancy Ingram), African Art in American Collections, Survey 1989, Washington/ London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2004 reprinting EXHIBITED Mission Viejo, California, I am Not Myself; The Art of African Masquerade, The Saddleback College Art Gallery, 1985 Santa Barbara, California, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1985 Los Angeles, California, Museum of Cultural History Gallery, 1985 New York, NY, Exhibition-ism: Artists and Ancestors in African Art, The Museum for African Art, New York, 14 October 1994-5 March 1995 Two letters, one from Dr. Robert Kuhn, dated 2 February 1992, and the other from Alfred L. Scheinberg, dated 26 May 1991, accompany the present mask.

H; A New York Private Collection Produced by Cole Harrell, New York July 2020

Layout and design………….……..Cole Harrell Photography…………….........…....Travis Emery

COLE HARRELL 291 7th Avenue New York, NY 10001 1.830.660.5089 cole@coleharrell.com www.coleharrell.com