The Wall Street Journal details the Paris sale of French couple’s art collection amassed during a 20-year sojourn in Oceania:

In March 24, Sotheby’s will offer the Rosenthal Collection of Oceanic Art with 37 lots, including dramatic figures, masks and ornaments. Eight pieces from New Ireland in Papua New Guinea will be at the collection’s heart. New Ireland carvings have long fascinated artists and collectors. The complex sculptures, which are on an extraordinarily high level of carving skill, haunt viewers with their intensity and otherworldliness.

Before the First World War, the German Expressionists in particular came under the spell of New Ireland’s rich imagery. After 1918, the French Surrealists promoted art that their leader Andr[eacute] Breton said filled one with “fear and wonder.”

Oceanic Arts Captivating Collection (Wall Street Journal)