About Toby

Why would a person of Western European Ancestry collect Native American art? 
What has compelled me as a collector for 50 years? 

The simple answer is that I find the art beautiful and fascinating. The more complex answer includes many factors. First, Native American artifacts are part of our shared American history. Like many antiques, they are a touchstone that tells a story about the past. Second, these exotic relics provide a glimpse into the beliefs and culture of their makers. Finally, Native American artifacts fulfill that which is often missing in our own Western cultural tradition - a connection to nature, magic and the supernatural. This is something that resides in us all, what Carl Jung called the “Collective Unconscious”. On the surface, this "something" might seem primitive, but in fact, it is deep, powerful and sophisticated. It is the connection to Man’s primal past found in antique Native American art that inspired many of the great Western Modern artists, including the Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists.  

My mission is to sell the best art I can find. Objects that grab you and hold your attention. An object that every time you look at it you say, "That is great, I love it, I’m glad I bought it!"

Experience

40 Years Experience in buying and selling Native American Art.

1977 BA in Anthropology and Art History, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.

1979 Graduate work at University of Pennsylvania and the University Museum

1985 Masters degree in Anthropology and Certificate/Masters in Museum Studies,
New York University

1980-1985, Worked at various cultural institutions in New York City, including: 
The Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation,
Center for Inter-American Relations, The American Museum of Natural History,
The American Museum of Immigration. etc.

1984 Exhibit Curator and Catalogue author; Tradition and Change: Native American
Arts of the Southwest. The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery, Syracuse University.

1992 "The Forgery of Native American Art and It’s Detection” in Artifacts/Artifakes,
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center

1993 The Flag In American Indian Art, New York State Historical Association