Roots
My connection to African art goes back through generations. The David family has been based in Basel since 1392; as a trading city, Basel was early on internationally connected and closely linked to Africa through the Basel Mission.
My parents, René and Denise David, founded Galerie Walu in Basel in 1957. Growing up surrounded by works of art, collectors, dealers, books and exhibitions, I became familiar with African art from an early age.
Journeys to regions of origin, together with direct contact with objects, collectors and specialists, have shaped my understanding of art and its cultural context.
Jean David, African Art Specialist
Art Trade and Auctions
After my education at EHL and studies at HSG, I decided to devote my career to the art trade.
From 1986 onwards, I worked in the then-individual company of my parents; in 1998 I founded the gallery Walu AG. During my time at the Walu gallery, I organized and curated numerous exhibitions on African art and published ten catalogues.
In 2003, I established a new department dedicated to African art at Koller Auktionen, which I headed as an external expert until 2014. During this period, I was responsible for 21 auctions and their corresponding catalogues.
In 2016, I founded Hammer Auktionen. Since then, together with my team, I have conducted more than 160 auctions and examined, catalogued, valued and sold thousands of objects.
Experience and Expertise
In addition to my work in the art trade, I am consulted by courts, customs authorities and insurance companies as an expert. I also participate internationally as a lecturer and author on topics related to African art.
More than four decades of professional activity have shaped my understanding of quality, authenticity, provenance and the market.
This experience is not based solely on specialised literature and databases, but also on direct contact with original works, the comparison of numerous objects, travel, research and personal exchanges with collectors, dealers, researchers and museums.
African art has been part of my life from the beginning. Over the years, curiosity and passion have grown into a profound expertise.
Today
Today, I continue to devote myself to African art in various ways.
Through African Art Advisory, I advise private clients and institutions on the assessment, documentation and contextualisation of artworks and collections.
Alongside my advisory work, I am an auctioneer and Tribal Art expert at my own auction house, Hammer Auktionen. I run the specialist platform tribal.art, and am owner of Galerie Walu.
