Alex van Opstal an early African Art collector.
By Bernard de Grunne. (translated from French)
In 1932, Alexis van Opstal created an African room in his
big house," la Maison Blanche". This house in
Brussels was build and entirely decorated by the famous architect Jean-Michel Franck.
The African saloon showed a complete panorama of the artistic production of
Belgian Congo, who was at he origin of his fortune. This African saloon was done
it the 1930's taste and gives also a clear view of the owners vision on
Africa.
Salon africain de la Maison Blanche
d’Alexis van Opstal
Alexis Jacques Jules Marie van Opstal (1874–1936),
was the one who created the ’Agence maritime internationale'.
Under his direction, a line Antwerp–Matadi was created and many new
travelers ships like the Anversville, the Elisabethville, the
Thysville, the Bruxellesville and the Albertville.
He married the niece of Albert Thys, and had two daughters Lucienne
and Mathilde. Mathilde had no children but her sister Lucienne married Martin Thèves
and had one daughter Isabelle, who owned the actual collection.
According to familial tradition most of the Art works was collected by major Laurent,
administrator of the Compagnie du Fer du Congo between 1902 & 1910
and who was a long time friend of the van Opstal family.
The comparison between old time pictures taken in 1933 and those from today
show with what respect the family kept this collection together and the African
saloon also reflect the high curiosity and sense of elegance et refined details
he had.
The collection was made of 899 lots subdivides in logical categories
like figurines, masks, seats, music instruments, pottery, ornaments, moneys, ivories
and weapons, but also some animal trophy as shown on the picture below.


African
Saloon in the Maison Blanche from
Alex van Opstal
Each object was identified with a metallic number tag, corresponding to a
mention in the catalog, and with detailed explanation for all categories, and
with a map .
After he died, his two daughters Mathilde & Lucienne showed 54 pieces
from the collection in the famous exhibition "Tentonstelling van Kongo-Kunst"
organized par Frans
Olbrechts in Antwerp in 1937.
Bernard de Grunne.

This catalogue bounded in a sumptuous manner was
published in 230 sample private in 1933 and include a map with tribes of Congo.
The whole collection was sold in Paris on
Tuesday 10 June 2008, I was only able to get the two following
figurines lots that are now available for sale (price on request)
David Norden
Lot nr 72 is a fine Luba statue, it has a waxed patina :




Lot 62 is a very seldom Mangbetu Zande statue that was presented on a
separate stand on the wall you can see it on this picture taken in the early
1930's :
<<<<<
It has a dark waxed patina, a fine elaborated coiffe and interesting eyebrows
going from ear to ear. This type of statues from the Zande Mangbetu border are
quite rare, and I do not remember having seen any in a museum or in a private
collection.

Let me know if you are interested in adding one of these two figurines to
your collection, send me an email by clicking on the request below, and I 'll
tell you the price.
David Norden