PARIS.- After a
hugely popular four-day viewing in Paris – attended by 1300 people –
today’s sale of exceptional works of art from Africa and Oceania attracted
a packed Sotheby’s saleroom throughout, with ferocious
competition between telephone bidders and collectors in the saleroom.
The sale total of over €5 million ($7.9 million) represented a
selling-rate of 83% by value. Most of the top prices were paid by
private collectors and connoisseurs, predominantly European or American,
all seeking exceptional items in a variety of specialized fields.