GALERIE ART PREMIER AFRICAIN GALERIE ART PRIMITIF AFRICAIN AFRICAN ART GALLERY

The Authenticity of African Sculptures

by Henri Kamer

The issue of authenticity of African art has been central to collectors for decades.  Henri Kamer, who was president of the International Arts Experts Association at the time, published an outstanding account of the state of the matter in Artes d'Afrique Noire, No. 12 (1974).  The text  that follows is extracted from an English translation of that article, and has been edited further.  The original includes a number of illustrations.  They are not included here because I believe the text suffices without them. 

The original version, including the illustrations, in French and with the English translation, is 

AFRICAN SCULPTURE

Introduction
Context of African sculpture
Places of traditional African sculpture
Canons of African sculpture
Techniques and creative
Aesthetic
Role of African sculpture in the middle
Universal impact of African sculpture
Bibliographic


Introduction

Never has been written about as much ink as traditional African sculpture. Ever, despite all attempts, the man has managed to evacuate his mental field, much less its history, that is to say of his encounter with the other. It has been a cornerstone to measure the "civilization" of the black man and his ability to create capacity variously appreciated throughout history until early this century, cubism helping, the unanimously begins to make the exceptional nature of African sculpture that was always confused with African art which it is a party, probably the most important, if one were to judge solely by the number Parts created that we have reached.

Context of African sculpture

We can talk about African sculpture in isolation from the rest of the arts of Africa south of Sahara. Every word in this area is responsible not only meaningless but history, and if we chose the term "African art" is to fully assume all we have inherited from the past in

Artists Abomey

dialogue on an African Kingdom

Mezzanine East
Tuesday 10 November 2009 to Sunday, January 31, 2010
Commission: Gaëlle Beaujean, head of collections Africa Branly

with the collaboration of Joseph Adande, art historian at the University of Abomey and Ahonon Leonard, manager and curator of the site of the royal palaces of Abomey


This exhibition presents 82 works through graphics and 8 elders, artists of the kingdom of Dahomey (1600-1894), in present-day Benin.

Its purpose is to present their works but also to question their role and status within society danhoméenne, and more specifically in the capital Abomey. Indeed, the artists chosen by the king, enjoyed great privileges while being constrained by their allegiance. The exhibition will explore their creations through the different functions of art in Abomey.

It is also to involve artists and families of artists in each type of objects presented. This new approach is the result of a research conducted by the research team, which resulted in an award-sometimes very finely certain objects.

The exhibition will last a double look at the works presented: the country of origin (through the participation of two scientists from Benin) and the French commissioner.
route of exposure

After an introductory space with an old map and a genealogy of the kings

The Age of Jazz

exhibition poster's century jazz


Garden Gallery

exhibition ticket or ticket matched

March 17 to June 28, 2009


Commissioner Daniel Soutif

Jazz, along with film and rock, one of the major artistic events of the twentieth century. This hybrid music marked the global culture of its sounds and rhythms.

The exhibition, designed by the philosopher and art critic Daniel Soutif, presented in chronological relations between jazz and graphic arts throughout the twentieth century.

From painting to photography, from cinema to literature, not to mention the graphic or comic book, the exhibition shows more particularly the development of jazz in Europe and France in the 30 and 40.


e route of exposure

Life, 1 July 1926 (FG Cooper, 1926) © Collection Philippe Baudoin
Life, 1 July 1926 (FG Cooper, 1926) © Collection Philippe Baudoin

The exhibition is divided into ten chronological sections connected by a "timeline", vertical window through which the exhibition will bring together works, objects and documents, scores illustrated posters, records and folders, pictures ... entrusted to evoke directly the main events in the history of jazz.

This structured timeline by year is the common thread of

Ciwara


African chimeras

Masks, headdresses Ciwara are among the better known pieces of African art. Incomparable masterpieces cultures Bamana (Mali) and Senufo (Mali, Côte d'Ivoire), enigmatic and emblematic symbols of African art, clichés abound when talking about these famous head crests. There are few so-called traditional African sculptures which have aroused so much admiration from fans and collectors. This catalog is intended to fill this gap and provide a scientific focus on the subject. He cites the permeability of borders and artistic use of such objects do not come out only during agricultural rites but on several occasions during the year (entertainment, important ceremonies such as funerals, fight against bites snake, ...). It also highlights the richness of the museum, unique in international collections, with his fifty-five masks reproduced at the end of the book.
Description

96 pages format 20 x 26 cm

70 illustrations and 55 photos to the catalog raisonné

Maps

retail price: 25 €

isbn 2-915133-15-8 / 88-7439-318-0

Co-published Branly / 5 Continents
curator

Lorenz Homberger, Deputy Director of the Museum Rietberg, Zurich
authors

Jean-Paul Colleyn, study director at the EHESS