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| Passion Investments: Art |
Going Native
Daniel Akst
02/01/2007
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Jeff Goldsmith, a health care consultant in Virginia,
cultivated his passion for Native American art during the course of his marriage
to Laurel Olson, daughter of noted collector Ralph Olson who died in 1989.
Olson’s collection became so extraordinary that pieces were displayed in the Art
Institute of Chicago. He not only mentored dealers, but also advised the IRS on
how to value donations of Native American art. Goldsmith still heeds the advice
of his former father-in-law: "Don’t buy mediocre pieces. Be willing to overpay
for really good ones." Now divorced, Goldsmith only buys occasionally, but his
collection of Southwest pots has turned out to be well worth the initial outlay.
"The value of this pottery has increased far more than the value of stocks
during the period I’ve owned them," he says. "They are great investments. But I
can’t imagine selling them."
Auction prices for the finest quality Native American art and
artifacts are soaring as new collectors are drawn to their combination of
history and aesthetics. But the best objects come to market infrequently, and
many suffer from complex legal and ethical issues. To avoid these, experts
advise new collectors to pursue the contemporary market, at least at first. |
Ellis believes that Native American art of the best quality
remains undervalued. The record-setting Tsimshian mask, for example, is a
gorgeous ceremonial object from the early to mid-19th century. "In the realm of
world-class works of art, $1.8 million is barely an entry fee," Ellis says. "An
African mask sold in Paris this summer for $7 million. Pre-Columbian masks went
for $10 million 15 years ago." The otherwise low-key Ellis becomes heated when
he observes that collectors now pay millions of dollars for production furniture
made only 50 years ago. A Carlo Mollino table went for nearly $4 million in
2005, he notes. By comparison, he thinks Native American art is a field that has
been vastly overlooked.
The value of high-quality Native American objects is comprised
of a combination of aesthetics, condition, rarity and age. But "age" means
different things in different settings. For tribes in the eastern United States,
"old" objects date from the 18th century; for Plains tribes, they can hail from
the first half of the 19th, according to Bruce Shackelford, an independent
curator and appraiser in San Antonio.
Moral Reservations
Provenance and clear title are crucial issues for fans of
Native American art. Collectors are generally safe when buying from a dealer who
belongs to the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association, which requires its
members to guarantee the legitimacy of their wares and the legality and
appropriateness of how they were acquired. Members also offer a full refund if
any object turns out to be different than originally represented.
 | THE CENTER embroidery makes this Acoma manta, or wearing
blanket, exceptional. It is the only known example in private hands. (Photograph by Bonhams & Butterfields.) |
This is particularly important because the 1990 Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requires museums and federal
agencies to return sacred objects and other cultural items to tribes. The law
also prohibits the purchase or sale of such items—and provides for penalties.
NAGPRA’s strictness and the lack of clear guidelines regarding what activities
can lead to prosecution have made dealers wary of entire categories of objects.
For example, Haas, noting that the Hopi have actively demanded repatriation of
sacred objects, says, "We wouldn’t sell Hopi masks for you."
The laws appear less problematic for individuals than for
dealers and museums; NAGPRA does not apply to private collectors. But while a
collector is not likely to be prosecuted for owning a sacred object without
clear provenance, the law will make it very difficult to sell or donate it.
Items taken from federal lands may also be subject to repatriation, and federal
laws tightly control ownership and use of eagle feathers, which are featured in
some Indian objects.
These potential difficulties spur some collectors to focus on contemporary pieces of art. Cathy Notarnicola, curator of the Native American
collection of Santa Fe art dealer Gerald Peters, says there are weavers today
who are just as good as Navajo artists of the past. Silverman also believes that
novices should begin with contemporary artwork. The Bonhams & Butterfields
auction of his collection featured several contemporary pieces by Rebecca
Lucario, an Acoma potter. Peters describes Lucario’s works as "thin, elegant and
spectacularly painted. They’re better than the ones that were done 300 years
ago."
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