The weather was cloudy on this mid-September weekend for the 24th edition of Parcours des Mondes, the international fair of Non-European arts, which gathers dealers from Saint-Germain-des-Prés, European galleries, and enthusiasts. From 9 to 14 September 2025, visitors had the opportunity to wander through the galleries on rue de Seine, rue des Beaux-Arts or rue Visconti, sipping a coffee at La Palette between visits.
Some dealers proposed thematic exhibitions – ‘Thing’s with Faces‘ at Jo de Buck Tribal Arts, which showcased a selection of works from Central Africa, or ‘Inuits and Sámis – Peoples of the Far North‘ at Galerie Vallois – while others invited contemporary artists, such as the New Zealander Jim Skull (born in 1959) at Galerie Abla and Alain Lecomte. The most ambitious show was probably the one curated by Galerie Lucas Ratton, titled ‘Western African Combs‘, which featured 121 fine, sculpted combs from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, drawn from a private collection.
Jo De Buck Tribal Arts, ‘Thing’s with Faces’ exhibition – clockwise: Bembe mask, East Democratic Republic of the Congo ; Kuba Bushoong nobleman smoking pipe, Kasai province, Democratic Republic of the Congo ; Tib double (Janus) head crest, Nigeria ; Ovimbundu scepter for an important female dignitary called Ombweti AngolaGalerie Bernard Dulon: ‘Fragments of Silence: the Max Itzikovitz Collection and various Collectors’ exhibition Michael Hamson Oceanic Art: Tapa mask, Kanipu, Purari Delta area, Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea ; Flute mask, Rao culture area, Upper Keram River/Middle Ramu River, Madang Province, Papua New GuineaGalerie Vallois : ‘Inuits et Sámis – Peoples of the Far North’ exhibition Galerie Franck Marcelin: Figure of a Bioma ancestor, Urama culture, Papua New Guinea Galerie Yann Ferrandin:Nkisi Nkonde figure Kongo, Democratic Republic of the CongoGalerie Yann Ferrandin: Nō masks, Japan ; Fudō Myōō, Buddhist sculpture, Japan, late Muromachi – early Edo period, 16th/17th centuryGalerie Ratton: Dan mask, Côte d’IvoireGalerie Abla et Alain Lecomte: Baulé monkeys, Côte d’Ivoire (top) ; Skull covered with terracotta beads from Niger, Jim Skull (bottom)Galerie Monbrison: Phemba maternity, Mayombe, Democratic Republic of the CongoBruno Claessens – Duende Art Projects, from top to bottom: Punu mask ; Kotareliquary figures ; Sango reliquary figure, GabonGalerie Flak: Hopi Kachina figures, ArizonaGalerie Meyer Oceanic Art: Fly River substitute head, Western Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea ; Ancestral spirit or shaman mask, Inupiak culture, Point Hope, Northern AlaskaGalerie Lucas Ratton: ‘Western African Combs’ exhibition
Elégances Parisiennes 