Magazines - Tribal Art Summer 2010

Interviewed by Bérénice Geoffroy-Schneiter, european editor of Tribal Art magazine.

Introduction
Where did their passion for Africa come from? There is a distant family past in which Patrick’s ancestors owned farm and forest land in the Congo, where they settled at the end of the nineteenth century. More likely it is the years spent doing aid work in Mauritania and then in Dakar that forged the taste and the eyes of these two collectors. Steering clear of fads and trends, and taking a contrarian approach in their acquisitions, Patrick and Catherine Sargos define themselves above all as lovers of Africa and its people. We met with the impassioned couple at the time that the town of Agen, France, was exhibiting a selection of their best pieces.

Tribal: A person doesn’t suddenly become a “collector.” How did your interest begin?
Patrick: My parents collected paintings, but also more unusual things, like elements from theater sets. They also owned some Benjamin Rabiers and humorous and caricature works by Caran d’Ache. My younger brother, Jacques, became a gallery owner in Bordeaux, with a specialty in eighteenth-century drawing. I myself had no artistic predisposition. In the course of my math studies, I became friends with African fellow students and I partied with them. In fact, I became interested in Africa before I became interested in African art. My years working in foreign aid decided the rest.