Collected Cultures: Seven Private Collections at Auction

6th September 2025

The upcoming Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas | Antiquities Auction on 17–18 September presents an exceptional selection of artefacts and objects drawn from seven named private collections, several of which are being offered for public sale for the very first time.

Among the highlights is a distinguished group of thirty-six lots (lots 297–333) from the collection of William Ferdinand Charles Ohly (1883–1955), 20th-century refugee art dealer, sculptor and philanthropist. Born in England and raised in Germany, Ohly worked as a sculptor in his early career before returning to London in 1934, where he pursued painting and printmaking while also dealing in art from The Berkeley Galleries on Davies Street.

Following the Second World War, Ohly established the renowned Abbey Art Centre on a three-acre site in New Barnet, Hertfordshire acquired from his friend and fellow collector, Father Ward. The property included a reassembled Kent tithe barn, a Congo hut, a Dinka hut, and a Chinese temple. Under Ohly’s direction, the tithe barn housed his personal museum, the Abbey Museum, featuring a remarkable array of global cultural objects. Surrounding outbuildings were converted into studios for contemporary artists, creating a vibrant centre that continues under family stewardship to this day. Highlights from the Ohly collection include two rare Maori patu onewa (lots 297 & 298) and a Haida argillite figure (lot 320).

Another exceptional collection featured in this auction belonged to Richard Hook (1938–2010), an internationally renowned illustrator for publishers including Osprey, Macmillan, and Oxford University Press. Recognised for his meticulous historical research and deep expertise in Native American cultures, Hook assembled a personal library and collection of artefacts to inform his artistic practice.

The Hook Collection (lots 156–227) reflects his particular interest in the nomadic cultures of the Great Plains and includes early 19th-century quilled items, beaded moccasins, leggings, accessories, and a Slavey quill belt (lot 163) from the notable James T. Hooper Collection.

Aboriginal and Oceanic artefacts (lots 75–155) are represented through the personal collection of Dr Leonhard Adam (1891–1960), a respected academic and authority on Indigenous art. A victim of persecution in both Germany and Britain, Adam was deported and interned in Australia. Upon release, he was awarded a scholarship to study and catalogue Aboriginal artefacts at the National Museum of Victoria and later went on to found a museum of Indigenous art at the University of Melbourne.

Additional private collections offered in the sale include:

• The Alain Rouveure Shamanic Collection of robes, drums, masks, and painted crowns (lots 333–369)
• The John-Paul Raad Collection, including a fine Yoruba house post (lots 248–296)
• The Gerty and Klaus Anschel Collection of ethnographic jewellery
• Part III of the Zbyszek Plocki Collection, featuring over forty Ibeji figures (lots 1–73)
• A Private collection of Native American beadwork (lots 228-247)

Fuller information on all seven collections can be found in the page-turning version of the catalogue available on our website.