Taking the mystery out of buying African art: consumer news.

Commanding record auction prices, art from the Motherland has grown in popularity and profitability. But how can you tell the authentic from the faux?

ART CONNOISSEURS HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY opportunity last June when the largest collection of African artifacts ever put on sale was auctioned in Paris. Collectors and dealers from Europe and the United States bid for over 300 works from Central and West Africa. The Fang Byeri reliquary, a sacred object that held ancestral bones, and the most famous of all the objects from Gabon, sold for a record $1.1 million. When the gavel dropped, the public applauded. Sales totaled $6.5 million for the weeklong event, a considerable sum given the small but growing group of African art collectors.

In fact, collecting African art, which took off in the fate '80s, has become a phenomenon among a wide cross section of people. No longer are pieces being purchased by just a handful of wealthy celebrities or athletes. Increasingly, middle-class people are buying these works, driving up their price and value.

This is due in part to more travelers, including African Americans, going to Africa and becoming more interested in the art and culture. More African Americans are also looking at traditional tribal art forms because they have become familiar with them via reproductions, suggests Lurita Brown, gallery director of Clinton Hill Simply Art Gallery in Brooklyn.

Reproductions, or "faux," are also less costly than original pieces, and are more affordable for most people. This allows individuals to become more comfortable and experienced with collecting, develop an eye and learn the value of the art while trading up to investment-grade artifacts.

"We're just beginning to see our images surface in the general market, and we're hungry for it," adds Brown.

As more Americans of all colors and classes begin or expand their African art collections, a trend is developing. "Collecting is a process. It is a deepening engagement through financial investment," says Grace Stanislaus, executive director of the Museum for African Art in New York City.

Becoming a connoisseur who can recognize individual works may take many years to learn. But there are elements that can help even novices distinguish the authentic from the fake. Experts say there are four primary criteria for evaluating African art: age, function, aesthetic quality and origin. Equally important, is buying what you like. That way, even if it isn't graded valuable, it will be "prized" by you.

UNDERSTAND THE FOUNDATION

Age is considered a principal element when determining what is considered valuable. But when evaluating African art, age is a relative term, since an "old" African art object can originate from just 30-50 years ago. Most prized carvings and statues are from the late 19th or early 20th century, while objects such as plates, chairs, musical instruments or weapons, can date back hundreds of years. In part, African artifacts don't date back much farther because of climatic and poor storage conditions, leaving wood to dry out, warp or crack.

What is now considered "art" was originally made for ritualistic or functional purposes, which is what makes African art valuable. As such, many artifacts come from a spiritual context, in dance or other ceremonial or ancestral worship, or have a practical use, such as a water jug or plate. African art was never made for merely decorative or aesthetic purposes. However, aesthetic quality is necessary to establish value. "Even if a piece was used in ancient ceremonies, if it isn't beautiful, there's no interest," says Helene Leloup, owner of Art Primitif Gallery in Paris.

Finally, there is the origin of the work: where the piece came from (which ethnic group and country), where it's been (because most early pieces were removed by colonists and taken back to Europe) and what collection it's from (who owned it once it was removed from its original environment). All these factors contribute to the value. But what can sometimes make collecting African art complicated is that many works are neither signed nor dated, and are created by "unknown" masters.

So how can amateurs--or even serious collectors--tell the authenticity and value of a mask, statue or an everyday object like a spoon, stool or ladder? If you expose yourself to enough different art forms and cultures, you'll at least be able to distinguish, for example, Nigeria's Yoruba statues and masks from South Africa's Ndebele art forms.

"You have to train your eye, like with any other art. It's like developing an ear for music or a nose for perfume," says Reginald Groux, owner of the Noir d'Ivoire gallery in Paris.

Look at a lot of art. Museums with a strong African or primitive art collection are rich resources and make for a good initiation. Major U.S. cities such as Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Washington offer at least one major collection in a museum or have museums exclusively devoted to this art (see sidebar, "In the Spirit of African Art"). Other sources of exposure are traveling exhibitions that tour some of the major cities and museums across the country, colleges and lectures.

Learn more about African cultures. "African art is unique in that different regions are producing art in various materials, colors and textures now," says Lurita Brown. "There's even new underground art coming from Africa that's not going through the traditional route of brokers and gallery owners to get out," she adds. In essence, there are as many different art forms--both old and new--as there are countries producing art.

"This is the cultural property of a whole continent," says Stanislaus. "There's a deep belief system [reflected] in African art. The objects are undeniably powerful," she adds. The Museum for African Art has a "friend's-level membership," which occasionally organizes those interested in collecting and takes them to see well-developed private and public collections.

Ask a lot of questions. The only way to learn about a country's art and culture--let alone a continent's--is to ask. What is the work's origin? What country does it come from? When was it made? What is it made of? Whose collection did it come from? And, if possible, who made it (i.e. from what tribe)? These should be asked of any dealer or gallery owner you c consider buying from.

STARTING YOUR COLLECTION

Now that you have an idea of some of the basic considerations in collecting African art, you are ready to venture forward.

Build gradually. If you really want to start collecting the real thing, go slowly. And if you intend for your initial acquisitions to have any investment value, then be prepared to spend $500-$2,000. Start by buying jewelry, textiles for wall hanging or utilitarian objects such as stools, combs or tools. "Don't look just at masks and figures, which are much more expensive," advises Carol Thompson, former associate curator of the Museum for African Art. "Most people don't start with a huge number of objects. They can have two great things and that's all. They build up to a fabulous collection," Stanislaus adds.

"You don't have to buy a $50,000 piece right away," concurs New York veteran dealer Mert Simpson, who has been in the business for over 40 years. "Start your collecting with a small piece of quality and trade up. For a few thousand dollars you can buy a Yoruba twin figure (Nigeria), an Ashanti doll or gold weight (Ghana), everyday objects such as stools, gourds and neck rests, or weaponry often sculpted with birds or other figures."

Leloup suggests other possibilities. "For $500 you can buy excellent things: an old Mangbetu knife from Zaire, African pottery that is simple but beautiful, or old velvet Kuba fabric from the Congo for even less--between $200-$300. It's prettier than ethnography." She agrees, however, that more significant pieces cost money: "You won't get a decent mask for less than $4,000." Her suggestion? Buy pieces from countries like Nigeria (Yoruba and If e are some of the well-known ethnic groups) or Burkina Faso which have millions of people and more art to sell. "The price is less for statues and masks, compared with the Fang people in Gabon or the Dogon in Mali that have only about 250,000 people."

Work with a dealer. Most African art connoisseurs recommend working with a dealer early on. "It's a kind of apprenticeship. You need to have some kind of tutor or guide," says Simpson, one of the few African American international dealers. "Some people have an eye for it. I don't know any one way or easy formula. Find someone you can trust, who knows more than you do. It's the best way to do collecting," he advises.

His Parisian colleague, Alain de Monbrison, says people ought to consult an expert for good art the way they do for everything else. "If my computer breaks down, I call a specialist. If I get sick, I see a doctor. An expert will know technically if an object is authentic or fake. Everyone has his metier," he adds.

Others suggest that beginning collectors not buy from just one dealer. "You don't learn as much. It's better to have more than one teacher. Talk to as many people as you can," suggests Thompson.

Museums with strong African art collections and art associations can recommend a reputable dealer. "Find someone who has been in business a long time, who has reliable taste, customer references and knows which African dealers have authentic merchandise," suggests de Monbrison.

Handle the objects. Don't be afraid to look at them inside and out. Thompson says even at premier auction houses such as Christie's or Sotheby's, you can ask to have an object taken out of the glass case in order to inspect it. "It's important to touch, smell and look at the piece. After all, you're going to be living with it," she adds.

Go to auctions. Serious collectors should get on the auction circuit. Auction schedules are listed regularly in Tribal Arts magazine, a quarterly journal published in both English and French, African Arts magazine and Art And Auction magazine, a monthly which covers auctions worldwide. Or you can subscribe to auction house publications.

Take a trip abroad. If you're really serious about collecting African art, most, of course, is in Africa. But what you'll see depends on where you go. The commercial market is strongest in Europe, particularly Paris and Brussels. Post-colonial ties remain strong, as does the tradition of collecting. Paris has at least 20 well-established African art dealers, all concentrated in the same neighborhood on the Left Bank; Brussels has 10. "Make a trip to Europe once a year," suggests Helene Leloup. But there are major collections and museums in the U.S.--from the Smithsonian's National Museum for African Art in Washington, D.C., to the Museum for African Art in New York.

African art continues to be vibrant. Contemporary African art incorporates western influences in imaginative ways. "Colonialization passed through the African continent like water over waxed canvas," says dealer and auction expert Pierre Amrouche. "Africa is now reappropriating and reintegrating its own art," he adds. Contemporary African artists are becoming more prevalent, identifiable and accepted. Brown suggests that it is because these contemporary African artists have learned to draw upon images that neophytes are more familiar and comfortable with.

Experts recognize the phenomenon in the rush to buy African art. "People are buying it for different reasons--as a work of art, for prestige, for the pleasure it gives or as an investment," says Simpson. "Artists feel more vibrant around it."

Simpson says he'd like to see more African Americans become major collectors. And he feels this will become more of a reality as the educational process becomes more accessible. "I'd like to see us get more involved. Look and see the wealth that you have in this art; that is who you are."