À propos du lot
n° 91
Titre : Masque Lwalwa Lwalwa mask
Provenance : Albert Gordon, Tribal Arts Gallery, New York
>Donald Tranin, Kansas City, Missouri, acquis auprès de ce dernier le
14 février 1984Notes : The Lwalwa, living in the western Kasai region, have a long tradition of
cultural and linguistic exchange with other central African people,
including the Mbagani, Salampasu, Kete, Lunda, Yaka, Suku and Kongo
(Felix 1987: 94). The Lwalwa pantheon is dominated by the Supreme Being
Mvidie Mukulu, and Nzambi, the first creator, who is omniscient. Lwalwa
art is most famous for the powerful, highly cubistic masks of which the
Tranin mask is a magnificent example with perfect proportion and elegant
lines. While the nose-profile according to Ceyssens (in MRAC 1995: 327)
refers to the long beak of the calao bird, the characteristic
protrusions on the temples represent skin decoration, dejindula or
kankolo.
>In its unbending line from the forehead to the tip of the nose, it
is possible to imagine that Picasso borrowed from this mask form in his
portrayals of Marie-Therese Walter. While she, herself, had an aquiline
nose, Picasso's incorporation of the strong abstraction and borrowing of
visual motifs of African art is well-known (see Rubin in 'Primitivism',
1984, Vol 1, p.324).Christie's, Salle de vente
, Paris, FR
🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.
Titre de la vente : Art d'Afrique, d'Océanie et d'Amérique du Nord
Date de la vente : 10/12/2013
🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.
Référence de l'enchère
: Live Sale
