Jan Ölander's path to a considerable collection of ethnographic objects was paved through a deep interest in art and a rich diplomatic career spanning several continents.
True to his diplomatic demeanor, Jan Ölander had a modest view of his own artistic pursuits. In a text about his painting, he wrote, "There are always sheep in my paintings, and churches – mainly because they are easy to paint." He started painting in his youth and was highly productive, working on several canvases simultaneously and even on branches, stones, and bits of metal; anything he could find. The motifs were mostly folkishly naive: a village in a rural landscape, often with a church, always with grazing sheep. He was a member of an association for European naive painters and participated in their exhibitions across France.
His diplomatic career took him to embassies in London, Prague, Washington, and Canberra. From 1984 to 1987, Jan Ölander served as the Swedish ambassador to Zambia and Malawi. Through his interest in societal life, he became friends with Zambia's President Kenneth Kaunda, and it was during this period that his interest in ethnography took off and deepened. Jan Ölander was fascinated by folk art and began collecting traditional African crafts from most of the 20th century. He bought a fundamental part of his collection on-site, but the collecting continued even after his return, resulting in a large dedicated room filled with masks and statues.
The collection that Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm is now facilitating includes a broad selection mostly originating from West Africa and Congo. Noteworthy items include a pair of sculptures from the Baule people in Ivory Coast, including a Blolo Bla acquired in Paris in the 1950s and exhibited at Liljewalchs in 1989, both heirlooms from Gunvor Liebenfeld, Norrköping. Additionally, there is a burial mask from the Lele people in Congo, a couple of older Goli masks from the Baule people, a finely carved mask with superstructure from the Guro tribe, an older twin figure – Ibeji – from the Yoruba people in Nigeria, a pair of finely treated masks from the Dan tribe in Ivory Coast/Liberia, and an impressive janus mask from the border area between Nigeria and Cameroon adorned with antelope horns and covered in animal hide. The collection also includes a couple of sculptures from Pacific cultures and a plethora of literature.
Jan Ölander's passionate collection is highly personal, exemplary rooted in the history of Swedish international diplomacy, and for Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm, a true privilege to present.
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