Parcours des mondes in PARIS

ABOVE: Horned mask. Guro/Bete; Côte d’Ivoire.
Galerie Serge Schoffel.


Discover the catalogue of Parcours des mondes - 2022 edition



PARIS—The world’s most eagerly awaited non-European arts fair will be held September 6–11, 2022 with Sam Singer, renowned Californian public relations specialist and lover and important collector of tribal art, serving as Honorary President. His presence can be viewed as an indicator of Parcours des Mondes’ desire to afford collectors that come from other countries the best possible reception, now that restrictions on travel finally have been lifted. The predicted return of many international visitors are mirrored by the fair’s foreign participants, who, for this 21st Parcours des Mondes, will number around twenty.

A new name among them is Bruno ­Claessens-Duende Art Projects from Antwerp. Other exhibitors are returning, some  after a prolonged absence, among them the prestigious Pace African & Oceanic Art Gallery from New York; Chris ­Boylan Oceanic Art from ­Sydney; and Arte Primitivo from Barcelona.

As always, quality pieces celebrating the diversity and astonishing inventiveness of the traditional arts of Africa, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas will be on display in each of the forty-seven galleries participating in the event, all there to be appreciated by everyone from the most demanding and inveterate collectors to those looking for a first opportunity to make acquisitions or simply wishing to learn more about the field. Parcours des Mondes is always an opportunity to admire high-quality and carefully produced thematic exhibitions presenting groups of museum-quality works.

This year’s fair will include several such exhibitions, including one dedicated to simian representations in traditional and contemporary African art by Galerie Lucas Ratton and the other devoted to the only African masks worn by women, the beautiful sowei helmet masks of the Mende people of Sierra Leone, presented by Galerie Abla and Alain Lecomte. Galerie Jo de Buck will present an exhibition on Kuba art from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Galerie ­Meyer will present the second part of a show focused on Oceanic weapons, Martin Doustar will examine the origins of Austronesian cultures in the Pacific, and Galerie Voyageurs et Curieux will invite visitors to travel through the part of New Guinea that extends from Lake Sentani to the village of Aitape. David Serra from Barcelona has chosen Parcours des Mondes to launch his new book West African Gold Ornaments. Structured in two parts, the work includes a presentation of West African gold jewelry from the former Wilks Collection with text by Patrick Girard, followed by a fine selection of jewelry from various other private collections, accompanied by essays by Wildfred Glar, Klaus-Jochen Krüger, and David Serra.

The presence of Parcours des Mondes will be felt at two choice partner institutions located on the banks of the Seine: Galerie Gradiva, whose cultural contribution is the subject of a detailed article in the pages that follow, and the Monnaie de Paris. Since May, the latter has been hosting a magnificent exhibition devoted to traditional monetary and exchange systems, which is discussed in detail in the Art on View section. A round table discussion organized by the exhibition and Tribal Art magazine will be held on Thursday September 8 at 6 pm in the Hôtel de la Monnaie’s Salon Dupré.

Parcours des mondes
6-11 September 2022
Paris, Beaux-Arts Neighbourhood

ABOVE: Bamana headcrest, Mali. Pace African & Oceanic Art, New York

ABOVE: Baule Figure, Côte d'Ivoire. Galerie Flak, Paris

ABOVE: Suspension hook, Iatmul, PNG. Michael Hamson Oceanic Art, Palos Verdes Estates