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).

Enchères et émotions
AuteurRolande Bonnain-Dulon du même auteur

École des hautes études en sciences sociales
EHESS
Centre de recherches historiques
54, bd Raspail
75006 Paris

Au-delà de leur public bien sûr, les ventes aux enchères passionnent les sociologues et les ethnologues et ce, à juste titre [Matras-Guin, 1987 ; Quémin, 1993 ; Rémy 1990]. Grâce à eux, on a compris pourquoi cette pratique sociale qui mêle l’économique au symbolique, le rationnel aux émotions, l’individuel à une certaine forme de collectif attire tant de gens qui vont là comme au spectacle, par curiosité, sans avoir toujours l’intention de participer aux enchères. Ces chercheurs nous ont également montré le rôle que ces lieux ont joué sur la constitution des communautés diffuses et temporaires, la mise en place de rituels profanes, le vécu de la concurrence, le rapport aux objets, le métier de commissaire-priseur.
2 Avec cet article, nous visons à montrer la forte incidence du lieu et les effets de sa représentation sur l’existence, les pratiques et les particularités d’un certain monde[1] [1] On utilise ici le terme « monde » dans le sens que lui...
suite, celui des collectionneurs d’arts premiers[2] [2] L’expression « arts premiers » désigne ici, sans...
suite dont les objets acquièrent lentement le statut d’art classé, en particulier en ces temps où le Louvre les accueille.
3 Aujourd’hui, les anciennes puissances coloniales ne se livrant plus à des guerres de conquête, une pièce classée dans les arts premiers n’a guère

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