Low turnout leaves majority of Hawaiian artifacts unsold at Paris auction

PARIS, France (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Paris auction of Hawaiian artifacts drew a low turnout of interested bidders, leaving most of the items unsold.

Hawaii News Now was told about eight people showed up to the auction at the Aguettes Auction House in Paris, France. About 15% of the 1,100 items up for auction were sold.

The Aguttes auction house called it the world's largest private collection of Hawaiian art.

The collection was previously owned by Maui collector, Rainer Werner Bock who said he wanted to establish a museum with the artifacts.

When the auction was announced in March, it drew criticism from Native Hawaiians.

One group of Hawaii residents vacationing in Paris protested the auction saying it felt like their heritage was up for sale.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees opposed the auction with a draft resolution calling for the immediate delay of the sale of the artifacts.

One of the items up for bid was a spear from the Captain Cook collection. It sold for $60,000 USD.

The sale continues Thursday and Friday. There was no response from Aguttes or Bock.

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