Yaelle “From Africa to New York,” pp African Art, New York and the Avant-Garde Group A Dees, Alex Jordan, Adrian Truong, Christine

Yaëlle Biro Associate curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art According to an interview from the Met, Biro studies the reception of African art in the 20 th century. She claims that African art has always been studied as curiosities (curios) or ethnographic objects – it was still being studied within a colonial framework.interview She is interested in illuminating prejudices during 1910s and ‘20s toward African art and what constitutes the canon of African art.

From Africa to New York: History and genres of African works in the United States during 1910s and 20s In the first half of the century, the process of procuring African art was still entrenched in colonial frameworks. The significance and meaning of the artworks became modified as they were shifted from place to place. French and Belgian dealers procured African art through colonial channels, which accounts for the presence of work from former French and Belgian colonies. Before 1914, Europeans did not know very much about the art from Côte d’Ivoire or the region of French West Africa (the AOF)

Art from Côte d’Ivoire Spoons with female faces or bodies allow We and Dan women to host spiritual beings (24). Akan culture mask worn by men to fight wars and illnesses; mask may have also been confiscated as spoils of war. Yaure and Gore masks have religious purpose – but Baule portrait’s purpose is secular Baule people – “people of wood”; mask shows lack of genitalia which is uncommon. clean surface for “spirit spouse,” “forest spirit” or “person of wood.”

Mask, kpeliye’e. Senufo, Korhogo region, Côte d’Ivoire. 19th–20th century (before 1913). ◦from the Korhogo area where this is a multi- ethnic population known as the Senufo ◦mask is a kpeliye’e, female mask worn by young men. ◦smooth surfaces common of Kulebele artists or those from neighboring communities ◦may be one of the earliest Kulebele works made for foreigners.

Mask. We or Dan, Côte d’Ivoire. 19th–early 20 th century (before 1914). ◦western Côte d’Ivoire ◦unusually broad features ◦could be from We or Dan community. ◦We masks painted in bold patterns ◦Dan masks embody spirits

Mask for a forest spirit. Bete or We, Côte d’Ivoire. 19th– early 20th century (before 1914). Wood. ◦southwestern Côte d’Ivoire or neighboring Liberia ◦rough surface, open jaws, protruding cylindrical eyes ◦unclear whether intended for sale or local masquerador

Art from Gabon and the Republic of Congo work of Fang, Kota, and Punu artists became prominent in Western collections. Western civilizations used African art as a metaphor to understand their own cultural changes. Fang work – freestanding heads, full-body sculptures carved in wood for familial altars. Kota work - emphasized importance of the body; copper, brass and iron metals applied to wood; plays of light. Punu - mukudj face masks worn by dancers, inspiration from beautiful women. Works become fundamental in American modernist language.

Figure from a reliquary ensemble. Fang, Gabon. 19th– 20th century (collected before 1914)

Head from a reliquary ensemble. Fang, Betsi group, Gabon. 19th century (collected before 1914). Wood

Art from the Congo also well represented in American museums. Ngbaka – masks long been ignored by American dealers, although other items such as musical instruments, cups and other vessels were sought after. Art of Songye, Luba, Hemba, Kusu – made collectibles by European dealers

Element from a reliquary ensemble. Kota, Ndassa group, Republic of Congo. 19th–20th century

Prestige stool, kipona, by the Luba artist identified as the Master of the Warua or the Master of the Kunda (possibly active between 1780 and 1810), Luvua valley region, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Late 18th–early 19th century.

Female Bowl Bearer. Luba artist from the middle Lukuga workshop (possibly active between 1810 and 1840), Lukuga River region, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 19th century.