Tribal Art

If the history of Josette and Jean-Claude Weill's collection begins with painting, their passionate quest for new forms quickly leads them to embrace the infinite diversity of the early arts. Matured over the decades, under the enthusiastic eye of their son Jean-Pierre, their collection today includes more than 120 works of the highest order, from the arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Several large ensembles are taking shape, reflecting the Weill family's inclination for bold, expressionist forms: Dogon and tellem statues combining geometric shapes and textured surfaces, but also kongo power figures adorned with their magical charge. The collection also gives pride of place to expressive arts from Nigeria, Cameroon and Melanesia. Among the most classical works are iconic pieces - ...

Kifwebe masks are animated by a "supernatural life" linked to their unique hybridity where man, animal and spirit merge; a mixture that reflects the mystical essence of the Songye and Luba of the southeastern region of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Combining the pulsation of a linear network of striated patterns with the powerful expression of multiple emotions, their fixed gaze imposes an inflexible presence. However, they are much more than their appearance - their essence is fulfilled in ritual and dance. For some time now, art historians and anthropologists have been paying increasing attention to them. This book proposes a new exploration of the masked tradition of the kifwebe based on a thorough study of Woods Davy's exceptional California collection.

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The kifwebe mask is a ceremonial object of the Songye and Luba societies (Democratic Republic of Congo), where it is worn with a long costume and a long beard made of vegetable fiber. As in other Central African cultures, the same mask can be used in magical-religious or festive celebrations. To understand the kifwebe masks, one must relate them to the cosmogony of the rainbow python, the work of the forge and other plant and animal signs.
Among the Songye, the benevolent female masks reveal what is hidden and balance the white and red energies related to two successive initiations, the bukishi. Aggressive male masks were originally concerned with the control of society and acted as a police force following instructions given by village elders. These two male and female forces ...

This book reveals the artistic production of the vast group of islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, a region of the South Seas located in the volcanic fire belt of Western Melanesia, divided into four main geographical and cultural areas: New Ireland, New Britain, the Admiralty Islands and the Western Islands. It is an art made of natural materials such as plant fiber, light woods, bark cloth and tree heart. This fragility associated with the use of bright colors has largely inspired German Expressionism and Surrealism. Art of the Bismarck Archipelago is divided into three main parts: a first essay on Bart Van Bussel's most recent photographic explorations of cultural traditions and traditional dance in New Ireland and New England today; a second on the historical period of exchange and ...

This book reveals the artistic production of the vast group of islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, a region of the South Seas located in the volcanic fire belt of Western Melanesia, divided into four main geographical and cultural areas: New Ireland, New Britain, the Admiralty Islands and the Western Islands. It is an art made of natural materials such as plant fiber, light woods, bark fabric and tree heart. This fragility associated with the use of bright colors has largely inspired German expressionism and surrealism. Art of the Bismarck Archipelago is divided into three main parts: a first essay on Bart Van Bussel's most recent photographic explorations of cultural traditions and traditional dance in New Ireland and New England today; a second on the historical period of exchange and ...

"Masks of the Congo: Masterpieces of Central Africa" explores masks and masking phenomena in the vast and culturally diverse region of the Congo Basin. This scholarly book describes the many facets of ritual masking ceremonies in this vast region, where masks are objects of courtesy, teaching, and entertainment. (...) For the occasion, a number of new illustrated maps were drawn, clearly indicating the approximate area in which each of the 140 masks presented in the exhibition was made, used or collected.

Edited by Marc Leo Felix
Status: NEW
Language: English
Number of pages: 392
Dimensions: 295x 230 mm
Brocketed
ISBN : 978-0300238754

The Baga, along with the Nalu and Landuma, are rice-growing populations settled along the coast of Guinea in West Africa. They have become universally known since the end of the 19th century thanks to their remarkable sculptures discovered by explorers, colonial administrators, ethnologists, collectors and art dealers.
Today, Baga art objects are admired in public and private collections in northern countries. They are mainly wooden masks of various natures, statues, statuettes but also superb percussion instruments, chiefs' seats and other skillfully carved utilitarian objects. In the past, these sacred objects were designed and used within the framework of the ancient Baga religious beliefs, based on the presentification of divine entities, cults dedicated to ancestors, rites of ...

The We live in the forests of the western border of Ivory Coast. Their name means "men who are easily forgiving". In the social life of this people, the family unit plays an important role. Each family is led by a patriarch, revered for his wisdom and wealth, who is responsible for overseeing the life of the clan. He organizes weddings, settles conflicts and influences religious life.
Long referred to by other names (Guere, Wobe, Kran), the We live on either side of the border between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire - and are therefore considered, in both countries, as a "peripheral" population. They are a civilization of masks, at the antipodes of other societies that do not have them (such as the Ashanti in Ghana).
Their masks, however, by their plastic boldness, were among ...

An essential and fascinating panorama of the Kuba people, the Democratic Republic of Congo and its art, illustrated by sixty particularly representative pieces.
This book brings together for the first time the most remarkable specimens of Kuba sculpture and decorative arts, mostly wooden objects from the world's greatest museums and private collections.
While the royal figures (ndop) of the Kuba people are considered to be the most finished sculptures in all of sub-Saharan Africa, historically the Kuba have produced very few statues. On the one hand, they are dedicated to an unprecedented variety of decorative arts, used as indicators of success and achievement. They have also produced a large quantity of masks and other objects related to initiation rituals, associated with ...

Les Baule, located in the center of the Ivory Coast, possess an extremely diversified art, in almost every category of objects, as if each utilitarian element was a source of creation. While neighboring peoples often limit themselves to sculpting masks, and others, only statuettes, the Baule once possessed doors, spoons, pulleys, decorated drums, and they knew how to take advantage of the smallest utensils: Seats, amulets, slingshots... An artistic abundance that is also reflected in the way in which all the materials were used: wood, fabric, metal, gold... And very often it is the most humble works of art that are also the strongest in terms of aesthetics.
Interest in this art was, moreover, compared to other regions of Africa, very early in Europe, from the beginning of the 20th ...

This beautiful book is the catalog of an exhibition that took place from December 12, 2001 to August 4, 2002 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Color and black and white photographs
Status: NEW
Language: English
Number of pages: 79
Dimensions: 280 x 200 mm
Brocketed
ISBN : 978-0300203608

Oceania is a world relatively unknown from far away Europe, except for large lands like Australia or New Zealand, fully integrated into the Western world. For the rest, the geography of Oceania is difficult to master: a few thousand islands hardly representative on planispheres or world maps, lost in the immensity of the ocean. It is rather paradoxical that this vast maritime territory has been called the 5th "continent". But links constantly rewoven by incessant travel between the islands ensure this unity. History is no less there than elsewhere, during which societies with extremely rich contents, inherited from the superimposition of migratory waves and repeated exchanges, will blossom. The result is a mosaic that one might find complex, but which is no more complex than the profusion ...

In Makishi: Mask Characters of Zambia, Manuel Jordán reveals the beauty and complexity of the remarkable masquerade traditions of the Chokwe, Mbunda, Lunda, Lwena/Luvale and Luchazi peoples who live in the "Three Corners" region of northwestern Zambia, northeastern Angola and southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo. The distinct but overlapping mask types and styles used by these groups reflect their ongoing interaction and demonstrate the constant reformulation of visual genres and performances. Relationships between the peoples of the "Three Corners" are further complicated by recent refugee flows, and the masquerades that Jordán considers and vividly illustrates in his field photographs reflect stories of compromise and creative tension, as well as contemporary struggles for ...

This volume explores the intriguing sculpture and decorative art of the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Best known for their royal figures (ndop), considered one of the greatest sculptural achievements of sub-Saharan Africa, the Kuba have in fact produced few independent sculptures. Instead, they focused on a variety of decorative works indicating success and achievement, and on pieces related to initiation such as masks.
The first book devoted exclusively to this subject, Kuba examines the artistic development of the tribe from the 17th century to the turbulent colonial and post-colonial periods. The authors also explore the impact of Kuba beliefs on their art and discuss the pervasive concerns that influence the tribe's artistic creation. With fifty beautifully ...

The Baga, along with the Nalu and Landuma, are a small community of rice farmers living along the Guinean coast in West Africa. They became famous following the discovery of their extraordinary sculptures by explorers, colonial administrators, ethnologists, collectors and art dealers in the late 19th century. Today, the art of the Baga is admired in public and private collections in Northern Europe. Their works consist mainly of different types of wooden masks and statues of various sizes, as well as wonderful percussion instruments, chieftain's chairs and other skillfully carved utilitarian objects.
All these sacred objects were once created and used as important elements of their ritual behavior based on the manifestation of their deities, ancestor worship, rites of passage, ...

Although many societies in the Congo were once renowned for their masquerades and architectural carvings, these phenomena have only been studied as living traditions among a handful of peoples, notably the Pende. Drawing on the extensive fieldwork of many scholars since the 1950s, this text offers a unique window into the dynamic performance contexts of masquerades and architecture in Central Africa. He favors the voices of the Pende as much as possible and seeks to understand the interrelationship between ritual practice and aesthetic form. Attentive to history, the text also shows that these artistic practices responded (sometimes unpredictably) to colonial and post-colonial pressure.

Author: Z.S. Strother
Editions: Five Continents
Color photographs

Although many societies in the Congo were once famous for their masquerades and architectural sculptures, these phenomena have only been studied as living traditions among a handful of peoples, notably the Pende.
Drawing on the extensive fieldwork of many researchers since the 1950s, this text offers a unique window on the contexts of dynamic performance in masquerade and architecture in Central Africa. It privileges as much as possible the voices of La Pende and seeks to understand the interrelation between ritual practice and aesthetic form. Attentive to history, the text also shows that these artistic practices have responded (sometimes unpredictably) to colonial and post-colonial pressure.

Author: Z. S. Strother
Editions: Five Continents
Color ...

The Mossi people of Burkina Faso have a rich and complex history that is reflected in the different types and styles of figures and masks they create. They originated around 1500 AD, when a large group of horsemen from what is now northern Ghana rode north into the Volta Valley and conquered the local farmers.
The descendants of the conquering horsemen became the ruling class and used political art in the form of royal figures to validate their authority. Meanwhile, the descendants of the conquered farmers became the spiritual class and made masks to represent the spirits of nature. The stylistic diversity of this art reflects the geographically divergent peoples who were conquered in 1500 and eventually became the Mossi we know today.
Unlike many other West African peoples, ...

The Yaka, a tribe of the southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, have been producing figurative statuettes, masks and other objects that have fascinated Western researchers, collectors and explorers for more than a century.
This impressive book brings together some of the earliest and most visually striking examples and explores their use in installation and initiation ceremonies and healing rituals, examining their relationship to leadership, divination, and witchcraft.
Colonial influences as well as "anti-fetish" religious movements are studied for their impact on traditional Yaka art. The book includes eighteen black and white illustrations and drawings accompanying the text, sixty-two color plates with commentary, and an annotated bibliography.

Author: ...

Art lovers are familiar with the works of the different groups of people generally called "Guro" who live in the center of the Ivory Coast. Close to the Wan, Baoulé, Yaure and Bète, the Guro have maintained close contacts with their neighbors, and the reciprocal influences are manifested in their various artistic creations.
Masks have a special importance that goes far beyond the value attributed to them for their aesthetic qualities on the art market. These objects can even be considered emblematic, having so far allowed those who define themselves as Guro to claim this identity.
While French colonization greatly weakened the prestige of the men whose power resulted from their hunting and warfare activities, the pursuit of complex rituals involving the use of masks allowed ...

Art lovers are familiar with the works of the different groups of peoples generally called "Guro" who live in the center of Côte d'Ivoire. Close to the Wan, Baoulé, Yaure and Bète, the Guro have maintained close contacts with their neighbors, and the reciprocal influences are evident in their various artistic creations. Masks have a particular importance that goes well beyond the value attributed to them for their aesthetic qualities in the art market. These objects can even be considered emblematic, having until now allowed those who define themselves as Guro to claim this identity. While French colonization largely weakened the prestige of men whose power derived from their hunting and warfare activities, the pursuit of complex rituals involving the use of masks allowed men to retain a ...