Art Tribal

  Lucas Ratton, Exposition "Baoulé", Côte d'Ivoire. © Vincent Girier Dufournier PARIS.- The Parcours des Mondes will be celebrating its 18th anniversary from September 10th through 15th this year. It is the world’s largest show of tribal, Asian and archaeological art, and over sixty dealers will gather in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in Paris to participate in it. The unique multiple-venue fair has become a central event in the launching of the post-summer season,... [Lire la suite]

Akan Artist, Ghana, “Double-Figured Staff Finial”, Late 19th–early 20th century. Wood, brass tacks, white beads, and fiber,19 1/2 × 1 3/4 × 1 3/4 inches. Purchase with funds from Fred and Rita Richman,2009.25, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. This finial was once situated atop a staff that was used as a portable shrine to commemorate ancestors. In Akan culture, ancestors look over their descendents and promote their well-being. The upper, bearded figure represents... [Lire la suite]

Senufo Artist, Ivory Coast, “Female Figure”, 19th century. Wood, 11 3/8 × 3 1/4 × 2 1/2 inches (28.9 cm × 8.3 cm × 6.4 cm), Fred and Rita Richman Collection: 2002.283, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. As intercessors to the spirit world, Senufo diviners use sculptures like this one to secure ancestral blessings. The beauty of these sculptures reflects the stature and prestige of diviners and their clients. This figure’s upright posture communicates a... [Lire la suite]

Chokwe Artist, Angola,“Mask”, 20th century. Wood, fiber, metal, and pigment, 10 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 2002.294, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. In Chokwe communities of the southern savannah region of central Africa, ancestral spirits known as makishi return to this world as animate beings to instruct the living. During the initiations of young men, makishi take the form of masks to transmit knowledge from generation to generation. Today... [Lire la suite]

Bamileke Artist, Cameroon, “Elephant Headdress”, 19th century.  Glass beads, wood, cloth, and raffia,  17 1/2 x 23 3/8 x 20 1/8 inches. Purchase through funds provided by patrons of the Second Annual Collectors Evening, 2011.  2011.1, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. During the nineteenth century, when this work was made, elephant masks were among the most prestigious of all the masquerades performed by groups of wealthy, titled men in the... [Lire la suite]

Baga Artist, Guinea, “Male and Female D’mba Figures”, 19th century. Wood, 26 inches,Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 2002.284.1-2, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. These two d’mba figures share the same profiles as the headdresses of the masquerades performed during Baga weddings and on other joyous occasions. For the Baga people living on the small tropical islands of coastal Guinea, d’mba is an abstract concept encompassing all that is good and beautiful in... [Lire la suite]

Bura Artist, Burkina Faso,“Vessel”, 13th century. Terracotta, 16 x 5 inches. Gift of Harriet and Eugene Becker, 2004.240, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Located along the Niger River in present-day Niger and Mali, the ancient sites of the Bura culture have been excavated by researchers and found to include areas dedicated to burials and other rituals as well as zones used for habitation. Some of the most striking discoveries involved the unearthing of huge... [Lire la suite]

Metoko Artist, Democratic Republic of the Congo, “Male and Female Figures”, 19th century. Wood, 16.25 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 2002.308.1-2, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta In Metoko societies, paired male and female figures representing husband and wife were used in initiation rites to confer the status of kasimbi, one of the highest ranks within the association called Bukota, whose membership included both men and women.  The... [Lire la suite]

Yoruba Artist, Nigeria, “Dance Staff for Esu/Elegba”, Late nineteenth–early twentieth century. Wood, 16 x 3 1/2 x 8 inches, Fred and Rita Richman Collection, 1980.500.72, High Museum of Art, Atlanta. © High Museum of Art, Atlanta In this dance staff made to honor Èshù, two faces look in opposite directions. Èshù is a deity honored by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and known throughout the African Diaspora as Elegua or Elegba.Èshù mediates opposing forces to bring together different worlds. He bears messages from the... [Lire la suite]

BRUSSELS.- South-African artist/curator Kendell Geers and Congolese art collector Sindika Dokolo selected together 150 works of art from Dokolo’s impressive collection. Their aim is to lead the visitor towards a change in the perspective on ancient and contemporary African art, by focusing on the spirituality that binds them. IncarNations is at once a mix and exchange between classical and contemporary art from Africa and its diasporas. The masks, images and historic objects act as milestones, anchoring contemporary works... [Lire la suite]