The auction “Marcel Nies: A Private Passion”, held at Christie’s Paris on March 26, 2026, offered an intimate look into the world of a passionate and curious eye. Marcel Nies, a Belgian dealer based in Antwerp, is known for his work in Asian art, but also for his involvement in the Tribal Art Fair (TETAF), where he contributed to a vibrant community of enthusiasts and specialists. During the last decades, he also assembled a discreet but refined collection of African and Oceanic art. Bringing together 47 lots, the sale felt less like a strictly academic collection and more like a personal journey through forms, materials, and encounters, achieving a total of €2.9 million.
The collection stood out for its thoughtful and coherent approach to major corpuses of African art. Rather than aiming for encyclopedic breadth, Nies assembled a selection marked by connoisseurship and a sharp eye for form, as illustrated by pieces such as a Bamana Ci Wara headdress (lot 6) or a Kota reliquary figure (lot 36). A particular emphasis was placed on works from Côte d’Ivoire, especially sculptures and masks that exemplify both aesthetic power and cultural significance. Several pieces were attributed to recognized “Masters,” highlighting Nies’ sensitivity to stylistic nuances and workshop traditions—most notably a Baule female figure attributed to the “Master of Ascher” (lot 30) and a Guro mask attributed to the “Master of the Yasua” (lot 35).
The highlights perfectly embodied this sensibility, combining strong visual impact with compelling histories. A Fang reliquary figure (lot 28) stood out for its powerful, balanced posture and dark, lustrous patina, achieving €736,600 and confirming the continued appeal of these iconic guardian figures. An Okuyi mask from the Punu people (lot 47), with its serene expression, finely arched eyebrows, and rare rounded black headdress, reached €165,100. Two works that once belonged to the art dealer Paul Guillaume (1891–1934) also drew particular attention: a refined Guro heddle pulley attributed to the “Master of Buaflé” (lot 2), which sold for €304,800, and a Bété-Guro mask (lot 9), which impressed with its bold, expressive features and fetched €241,300. Finally, lot 26, a striking pair of Ifugao bulul figures, notable for their pure and restrained forms, sold for nearly eight times its low estimate, reaching €279,400.
/ Mask, Lower Sepik Region / Kandimbong Figure, Lower Sepik Region / Iatmul Suspension Hook, Middle Sepik Region, Papua New Guinea
Photos credits: @elegantinparis
Elégances Parisiennes 