Two longtime dealers in tribal art — Ron Nasser, a specialist in African, Oceanic and Eskimo material, and William E. Channing, an expert in Native American pieces — have joined forces in a new gallery on 78th Street near Madison Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Nasser & Co. handles the entire range of tribal works, from prehistoric Eskimo carvings and northwest-coast sculpture to pre-Columbian masks. The inventory includes such treasures as an ivory bear from the Okvik Eskimo culture, dating to between 250 b.c. and a.d. 100 and priced at $95,000, and a circa 1820 Maori nose flute, or puturino, for $400,000.

Unlike most New York dealers in the field, who trade privately, Nasser and Channing mount public shows. Both relish being in the center of the marketplace. "New York and Paris are the best places to be — that’s where the auctions are," says Nasser.

As for opening in a recession, he believes that "people always run to good art." The partners hope to attract not only traditional tribal collectors but also buyers of American folk art, photography and contemporary paintings who can appreciate objects from distant cultures. "There are lots of potential clients in New York," says Channing. "The gallery primarily showcases tribal art, but we will also do other types of exhibitions that interest us."

"Dynamic Duo" originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's January 2009 Table of Contents.