ART FROM AFRICA AND OCEANIA, FAR EAST: THE COLLECTION OF MONSIEUR FF.
SALE WITHOUT RESERVE PRICE
SALE
Wednesday February 5, 2pm - La Salle, 20 rue Drouot 75009 Paris
EXHIBITION
Saturday March 1 from 2 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday March 4 from 11 am to 6 pm and the morning of the sale from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
La Salle, 20 rue Drouot 75009 Paris
INFO AND INFORMATION
+ 33 (0)1 71 19 42 16 / info@vermotetassocies.com
A passionate collector of African art for over thirty years and Oceanic art for over a decade, I have built up a significant body of work over the years, each reflecting a stage in my personal and aesthetic journey.
In the early days, my gaze was guided solely by the intensity of my emotions, without regard for the originality, finesse of execution or rarity of the pieces. It didn't matter whether the objects were recent or ethnographic: each acquisition opened me up to a new aesthetic, imbued with the magic of tribal cultures in harmony with nature, the opposite of our Western desire for domination. My approach was first and foremost an instinctive passion, no doubt driven by an unconscious desire to soothe my emotional wounds. Yet, without realizing it, each of these works has helped shape my outlook.
Like any passion, this collection became a quest, gradually leading me to seek out works of ever-greater emotional intensity. Soon, instinct was no longer enough. The need to understand, distinguish and choose with greater discernment became imperative. So I sought out the expertise of the greatest dealers: Hélène Leloup and Alain de Montbrison for African art, Anthony Meyer for Oceanic art. Through their influence, my eye gradually sharpened, enabling me, after twenty years, to recognize pieces with an indisputable presence and to distinguish genuine art from handicraft. Gradually, my choices became clearer, favoring the originality and evocative power of the works. So, rather than acquiring a mediocre Fang work, I chose high-quality pieces, albeit less emblematic. And yet, certain works that straddle the boundary between ancient and modern, between original and reproduction, between ethnological object and artistic creation, sometimes seem to me to embody more faithfully the spirit of the cultures that shaped them than many works consecrated by the market and experts.
Today, I prefer auctions to acquire works that correspond to my sensibility and the evolution of my Western gaze, aware that they were perceived differently by those who created them. Lucid about the shifting nature of aesthetic criteria and the influence of fashions in our perception of art, I have nevertheless chosen to part with certain pieces acquired in my early years, as well as those whose sincerity remains uncertain in the eyes of experts. Although they played an essential role in shaping my vision, they no longer fit into the coherence of my current collection.
This sale thus brings together my first acquisitions, pieces that are the subject of debate, as well as some more recent objects bought at auction without having seen them. Although these works are not unanimously acclaimed by the experts, they nevertheless awakened in me the collector's eye that I was becoming. As such, they retain an undeniable decorative and emotional value.
That's why I asked my friend, Nathalie Vermot, not to set a reserve price: only your bids will reveal the emotion these pieces can still arouse.
F.F.
TRANSPORT AND SHIPPING
HELLOTHEPACKENGERS (France, Europe and Worldwide)
+33 (0)1 76 44 00 90
hello@thepackengers.com
Or any other carrier of your choice.
WITHDRAWALS
From March 6 afternoon, by appointment only, via our website or by telephone on 01 71 19 42 16 or by e-mail via dorian@vermotetassocies.com
20250220175955.png)
