Questions & Answers
How did you get started
with Aboriginal Art?
We started collecting in 1977, when we lived in Australia and became enamored of Australian Aboriginal culture and the art of these fascinating, talented people. Anthropologists estimate that Art and Culture on the Australian continent go back 26,000 years. The art has its genesis in paintings on the rocky escarpments of what is now Australia's Northern Territory
When did African art
enter your picture?
A return trip to the United States took us across the African continent. While there, we sensed a strong connection between West African and Central African art and that of Australia's Aborigines. While different from each other, they resonate to the same rhythm. The connection was strongenough to draw us back to Africa to learn more and buy pieces for our personal collection.
And when did you discover
Native American art?
When we moved back to the United States, we discovered the power of the Native American artistic tradition. It was something we had never experienced in our earlier years in the United States. We believe it was our exposure to Australian Aboriginal art that sensitizedus to the whole context of tribal art.
When did you open and close
the Sanibel gallery?
Collecting material from these areas led to trading. Trading became the gallery. First, we worked out of our home in Chicago.
Aboriginals: Art of the First Person opened as a gallery in 1990. We had been coming to Sanibel for years as we moved elsewhere around the world.
Finally, when we decided to open the gallery, Sanibel felt like home. We also knew of Sanibel's international reputation as a great place to live and visit. We believed - and it turned out to be true - that many of the people who share our interest in tribal art would be drawn to this part of the world.
Ultimately, our timetable for maintaining the physical gallery ran out. That timing coincided with some other factors - two hurricanes in successive years and a change in ownership of the gallery space we had rented. In 2006, weclosed the physical gallery and shifted our entire activity to the internet and the web.
What's your vision for Aboriginals:
Art of the First Person?
We see ourselves continuing our interest in the finest in authentic tribal art from Africa, Australia and Native America, enjoying it while it passes on to others who will "give it a good home." As age and pandemics catch up with us, we remain in good health but physically limited in our treks to our original sources. We will, however, continue to offer pieces from our collection to our beloved customers and to communicate with our clients and resources.
Our Guarantee & Privacy Policy
"It is what we tell you it is or we take it back"
Since we believe that a major aspect of value is authenticity, we vouch that any item you buy from Aboriginals: Art of the First Person is what we describe it to be.
We work directly with artists or through intermediaries that we trust. We represent each item based on input from these individuals and our experience.
If you, as the purchaser, get an appraisal from any other established authority within 30 days that identifies the item as other than we represent it to be, we will willingly refund your purchase price when we receive the returned item in the same condition as when it was purchased.
In addition, any item bought via the Internet has a 14-day inspection return privilege. If you are not satisfied with the item, return it in the same condition as when purchased, postmarked within 14 days of receipt. We will refund your purchase price.
Privacy Policy:
No information you provide will be shared with any third party or be retained in digital files that might be seen by third parties.
