ABORIGINAL ART

ABORIGINAL ART AUCTIONS

 

The Aboriginal department: between strength and spirit

 

Millon's auction department specialising in Australian Aboriginal art has been developing for almost twenty years. Headed by Maître Nathalie Mangeot and expert Marc Yvonnou, the department has paved the way for a new market for Australian works, at a time when this art was still relatively unknown, particularly in Europe.

 

The artistic output of Australian Aborigines is extremely varied, encompassing a wide range of media including painting with natural pigments on eucalyptus bark, acrylic on canvas or wood, watercolour on paper, engraving and sculpture, as well as videos, installations and photographs. Artefacts such as boomerangs and funerary posts are also the subject of numerous decorations. The range of colours and formats is equally vast.

 

 

 

A pioneering sales department run by enthusiasts

 

Nathalie Mangeot, founder of GAÏA, and Marc Yvonnou, both deeply passionate about Aboriginal culture , created a department dedicated to Australian Aboriginal Art at a time when the market outside Australia (where the local market is highly developed and commands record prices) was virtually non-existent . Today, each of MILLON's sales creates an event for collectors and (now) impatient professionals.

 

Aboriginal art has been particularly in the spotlight in recent years, and museums have been stepping up their acquisitions in recent years. The number of collectors is growing all the time, making our sales a resounding success. Paintings on eucalyptus bark may attract the curiosity of tribal art lovers, while those who prefer contemporary art will be fascinated by paintings from the vast Central Desert

 

At one end of the world: "Dreamtime", an age-old art form that is astonishingly contemporary

 

The art produced by Australia's indigenous peoples, in all its economic, political, social, cultural and territorial aspects, is undoubtedly one of the last great artistic movements of the 20th century. It began in the 60s and 70s with the Aboriginal emancipation movements, and took off in the 90s.

 

Often rich in colourful paintings, the sale catalogues highlight the hidden meaning of the work. When confronted with the works of Australia's Aborigines, we always come back to the way in which these artists paint their myths in order to legitimise their link to the land and to appropriate their history and their lands materially and symbolically, in order to pass on their cultural and spiritual values (and make them known) .Many of the artists use a technique akin to pointillism, which is a real eye-catcher .Above all, these works of art bear witness to the long-term work of their creators, as they relate to and adapt to the world in an extremely dynamic way. The forms that emerge from this work are not part of an unchanging tradition: they are invented in the present and build for the future.

 

 

Aboriginal art auction highlights: the calendar

 

Nathalie MANGEOT, auctioneer and head of department, and Marc YVONOU, a passionate expert, offer selective, thematic and catalogued auctions held in the Drouot auction rooms, online and live . These auctions are aimed at informed collectors and novices who can start a collection with confidence at Millon.

 

These sales are held twice a year, presenting works from major European and Australian collections.

 

The auctions enable an increasingly broad public to add to their collections or discover artists from the Lajamanu, Utopia, Papunya, Balgo and Maningrida communities, some of whom are still little known in France through their works, such as : George Takata Tjapaltjarri, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Gloria Petyarre, Judy Watson Napangardi, Emily Kame, Dorothy Napangardi, Minnie Pwerle, Abie Loy Kemarre, Paddy Fordham Wainburranga, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Lilly Kelly Napangardi, Tommy Waston, Linda Syddick Napaltjarri..

 

 

Some fine sales results

 

The Aboriginal & Australian Art sales boasted some fine results:

 

• Artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, often regarded as one of Australia's leading abstract painters, draws his inspiration from tradition. Hisacrylic on canvas Untitled , painted at Kintore in the Western Desert , sold for €13, 500 at auction in 2012 .

 

• Kathleen Petyarre (c. 1940 - 2018), is one of Australia's most renowned and appreciated Aboriginal painters. Several of her paintings are in the collection of the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques-Chirac. Untitled, an acrylic on canvas, painted in Alice Springs in the Central Desert as part of the Anmatyerre Group, was sold in 2022 at a hammer price of €13, 000.

 

• Rover Thomas Joolama (c. 1926 - 1998), The dog (Dingo) from Lake Gregory Kurtu Soak, 1996. Acrylic on canvas - 138 x 114 cm. Kukatja / Wangkajungka Group - Kimberley Oriental With certificate from Flinders Lane Gallery / photo of the artist making the work. This painting depicts an episode from the Dreamtime. A Goofy Ancestor has left sacred objects on sites marked by symbols painted black. The spirit of this Ancestor still resides in Mulan (Kimberley). Sold for €28,000 in 2017

 

The department at your side

 

Constantly on the lookout for objects and paintings, Marc Yvonnou and Nathalie Mangeot like to satisfy a clientele of well-informed collectors . To this end, they will provide you with information on identifying your objects and their value, and will accompany you throughout the sales process.

 

Wouldyou like a free and confidential estimate? Our team is there for you, with no obligation on your part.