GALERIE ART PREMIER AFRICAIN GALERIE ART PRIMITIF AFRICAIN AFRICAN ART GALLERY

Full text, digitalised by Lies Strijker and presented by the .Centre Aequatoria
Notes on the digitalisation and presentation


[Cover]

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IMPRIMI POTEST
Kanzenze, 12-2-1952
P. Simeon, o.m.f.
Sup. Reg.

IMPRIMATUR
Luabo-Kamina, 30-5-1952
+VICTOR PETRUS KEUPPENS
Vic. Ap. de Lulua


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(Translated into English from "La Philosophie Bantoue" the French Version by Dr. A. Rubbens of Fr. Tempels' original work. The Revd. Colin King, M.A. Translator.)

With a Foreword to the English Edition by Dr Margaret Read, C.B.E.Ph. D.,M.A., formerly Professor of Education and Head of the Department Of Education in Tropical Areas, The

The Sejen bird figures of the Senufo People, Ivory Coast
The art of the Senufo people is quite popular nowadays, and their sculpture and masks are found in many European and American collections.  There are about 3 million Senufo living in the north of the Ivory Coast and the southern area of Mali. As in every country that was in touch with Islam and Christianity, many aspects of the traditional "native" culture were destroyed, especially in the 1950's where a new syncretic movment, "Massa or Alkora", was in the area.  There has been much French ethnologic field researchin that region.  Those pioneers had their own methods of acquiring pieces (that's another story).

Après la maison de ventes aux enchères Gaïa,

Artcurial et Pierre Berge & associés se lancent dans

l'art africain contemporain. Sans que les oeuvres,

pour l'instant, rencontrent le succès de l'art dit tribal

auprès des collectionneurs. Explications.

NICOLAS MICHEL

Acheter de l'art africain

contemporain ? Allez-y,

c'est le moment !

« Le contexte est très

bon pour l'investisseur,

explique Fabian

Bocart, directeur des recherches quantitatives

chez Tutela Capital. Les prix sont

plus que raisonnables pour des travaux

de grande qualité. On peut s'offrir des

pièces de maître pour 12000 euros ! » Et

il poursuit : « Nous sommes à l'aube de

ce qui va se passer quand les Africains

vont se rendre compte de leur richesse.

Profitons-en ' Achetons avant qu'ils

ne se réveillent ! » Les propos peuvent

paraître cyniques, mais ce sont ceux

d'un homme dont le job est de conseiller

des collectionneurs qui veulent placer

de l'argent et considèrent l'art comme

un investissement. Rien à voir avec un

mécène ou un philanthrope.

En la matière, il a raison: les Africains

sommeillent encore. Ou du moins dormaient-

ils à poings fermés, le 24 octobre

dernier, lors de la vente « Africa

scènes I » organisée par la maison Artcurial

à Paris. Sur plus de

Eternal Ancestors - African Art and Modernism -

The NMAfA collection includes tradition-based and contemporary works of art. Both address important issues of identity, history and aesthetics, demonstrate dynamism and reflect change as African artists respond to new ideas, materials and sources of inspiration.

Tradition-based arts help shape and reflect established formal, functional and aesthetic canons. These artworks, which are used in everyday and ceremonial settings, address individual and community needs and serve social, religious and political ends. Humans and animals, the primary subjects in African art, depict desirable and undesirable aspects of human behavior. Deities, ancestors and other spiritual beings that are portrayed embody the breadth of African religious beliefs and practices.

The creators of tradition-based African art are known and respected members of their communities. Unfortunately, those who created many of the exquisite works now found in museum collections remain unknown because their names were not recorded when the objects were collected many decades ago. In

Artful Animals
July 1, 2009--February 21, 2010

Artful Animals, an exhibition dedicated to young audiences, explores how African artists create striking works of art using images from an array of domestic and untamed animals. From rock art to contemporary painting, audiences will discover animals used as symbols of royal arts, in masquerades for the ancestors and others rarely seen. Many of the elements of design are derived through direct observation of the animals in their natural habitat. It is the animal's conduct and distinct behaviors that carry the messages in performances, stories and proverbs. The approximately 125 works capture not only the physical characteristics of animals but also the many ways that animals, from spiders to leopards, act out our human shortcomings and successes. Themes include notions of nurturing, power, wisdom, transformation, beauty and aggression.

The National Museum of African Art is collaborating with Smithsonian education units at the National Zoological Park, National Postal Museum, National Museum of Natural History and Discovery Theater. Each partner site will feature a host of multidisciplinary activities.
The programming project has been supported by the Smithsonian School Programming