The elderly couple who originally sold the Ngil Mask—one of the ten surviving pieces—recently suffered a legal setback. The judge sided with the art dealer, pointing to the couple’s inexcusable negligence and frivolity, underscoring their failure to conduct proper research on the rare artifact.
This court decision came in the wake of protests in Gabon in 2022, where calls for repatriation were made but ultimately overruled by the court. During a protest, Solange Bizeau of the Collectif Gabon Occitanie voiced her concerns, stating, “This mask has a soul, used to establish justice in our villages.” The juxtaposition of legal decisions and passionate pleas for cultural preservation adds layers to the complex narrative surrounding the sale of the Ngil Mask.
Image courtesy of Art News Africa.
Art News Africa reported the lawsuit in October, documenting the controversy and the elderly couple’s attempts to halt the sale of the artifact. Allegedly sold for €150 initially, the dealer auctioned it for €4.2 million and claimed that the couple failed to recognize its true value. The couple contended the dealer was dishonest about the artifact’s worth.
Despite the couple’s strong claims, the judge ruled for the art dealer, highlighting the couple’s failure to research the artifact’s true value before selling it during a holiday cleanup. This case is perplexing; while the judge rightly favored the dealer who discovered the value, biases arise due to the artifact’s African origin and the need for repatriation.
The auction catalog revealed that the French colonial governor Fournier collected the piece around 1917 in unknown circumstances during a tour in Gabon. With France facing issues with African countries affected by its government, the dealer’s right to sell at a high value conflicts with the fair repatriation issue to the Gabon government.
This year has witnessed significant developments in the African art world, including efforts by cultural institutions like the British Museum to repatriate pieces. Despite these efforts, a gap exists in the secondary market, and hopefully, next year will bring changes.
For more details on the Ngil Mask sale by the elderly couple, click here.
