The
Fox Collection consists of approximately 250 objects, which are the finest
samples of large number of artefacts collected between 1985 and 1990 during
3 different trips up the Sepic River by Garamut Ltd, a company formed
by the family that controlled shipping into and out of Papua. All of the
pieces are from Sepic River artists and include pieces from the tribes
of the lower, middle and upper regions.
Garamut Ltd funded a large share of the cost of Papua New Guinea’s
pavilion in the 1992 World Expo held in Seville. They also built the beautiful
Fiji Pavilion which burnt down just two days before the opening of the
Expo. The pavilion that Garamut wanted to build for Papua was something
very special and was to house their collection of over 2000 objects, but
they ran into many problems and in the end a local builder put up a building
of little merit which was destroyed right after the Expo. Garamut brought
about 30 house poles carved by different tribal artist from along the
Sepic for this pavilion which were never used, and each of the poles included
in this collection is by a different one of these artists.
At the end of the Expo, Steve Selby bought the remainder of the best collection
of contemporary Papuan Primitive art ever brought to Europe, and hand-picked
250 pieces to be included in this particular collection. The remaining
pieces were divided into smaller collections covering all of the many
aspects of Papuan primitive art. The Fox Collection is the last to be
sold and is also the best.
When Steve Selby formed The Fox Collection from the larger one, he wanted
it to be different. So often collections of art or artefacts from Papua
are framed around figures and masks, for which Papua is justifiably famous.
What is often not understood and reflected in collections of Papuan art,
is that the art is an intimate part of everyday tribal life. Everyday
items from pieces of wood used for eating or stirring the cooking pot,
to the cooking pot itself, are decorated. Weapons for hunting or defence
from violence are decorated. Houses are adorned with designs and figures
to protect those within. Even pottery, which is not usually long-lasting
when in everyday use, must carry some type of design. The much sought
after storyboards, which are a relatively new art form in Papua, are rich
in design as well as unique story content. This collection includes representations
of all these aspects of Papuan life, many of which other collections have
neglected.
To find out more about the
history of Papua New Guinea and the background to the Fox Collection,
click here. |
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| The
Fox Collection is currently for sale: rather than breaking it up
and selling the pieces one by one, Steve Selby would like to keep
it intact if possible. We have a limited period of time in which
to achieve this: whether you are interested yourself, or simply
have any ideas about who might be interested in keeping such an
important and unusual collection together, we would be grateful
to hear from you. The collection is in Cadiz, Spain and can be visited
by arrangement.
Please contact Joanna
Crowson at casagaia@hotmail.com |
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