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Descrizione : Wood with natural pigments New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, circa 1890 Hermaphrodite figure with arms raised to the sides standing over the severed head of an ancestor The face carved with strong expression in black and white Inset shell eyes and an overall geometric carving covering the entire figure For a similar example see plate 386 in 'Oceanic Art' by Anthony Meyer. Height: 102 cm Good condition Provenance: Private collection Paris, formerly collection of the artist Maurice de Vlaminck (see photo gallery) A rare and exceptional Uli Figure, recently an Uli figure sold at Sotheby's Paris, September 2014, lot 32, for €1,350,000. In 2012 a comparable figure was sold for €1,160,000 at Lempertz Brussels, lot 120. ULI Pour sûr tu es un grand dieu [...] Tu fais peur tu émerveilles ULI For sure you are a great god [...] You fill with fear and wonder wrote the Surrealist André Breton in his poem 'Uli' in 1948. These verses describepar excellence the fascination, which the mesmerizing Uli figures from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea have had on collectors and artists since the turn of the century. The present carving of a Uli figure dates to circa 1890.The hermaphrodite figure is depicted with its arms raised to the sides in a standing position with a prominent male sex and female breasts, standing over the severed head of an ancestor. The face is carved with a strong expression in black and white, featuring large ears and a large and menacing mouth showing a full set of teeth, inset eyes and a fine overall linear balance of geometric carving covering the entire figure. The figure is an embodiment of a great leader, having the aggression of a fierce male warrior and the compassion and understanding of a fertile and nurturing woman. The rituals surrounding these objects are still not well understood, but researchers know they were worshiped as clan leaders in important ceremonies, such as funerary rituals, which ceased to exist in the early 20th century due to the conversion of the natives to Christianity. The indigenous people were encouraged to destroy and burn any remaining idols from their former faith. Fortunately there were numerous explorers passing through the region in the late 19th and early 20th century who were field collecting objects for anthropological study. There are perhaps 200 Uli figures known to exist today, most can be found in museums around the world, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession no. 1977.455), the Brooklyn Museum (accession no. 51.234), the Dallas Museum of Art (accession no. 1975.14) or the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris (accession no. 72.1972.2.1) and only a handful exist in private hands. The present piece was formerly in the collection of the French Fauve artist Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), who was an ardent enthusiast and collector of African and Oceanic art. At the beginning of the 20th century de Vlaminck and fellow artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse showed a keen interest in carvings by the so-called 'primitive' cultures from the South Sea and Africa whose magical, mystical and idolatrous nature enchanted and inspired them. Over a century later these tribal sculptures have not lost their appeal. Contemporary artist Jeff Koons, for instance, recently incorporated an Uli figure into one of his modern masterpiece collages titled 'Antiquity (Uli)' (oil on canvas, 2012-2013). Literature: Anthony JP Meyer, Oceanic Art, Cologne 1995, fig. 386 Philip Collins Gifford, The iconology of the Uli figure of central New Ireland, 1974 The figure is in good condition with signs of wear consistent with age and use. The height measures approx. 102 cm. (tfa) Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.
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