The BRUNEAF (Brussels Non European Art Fair) has now become one of the leading exhibitions on African tribal art in the world. BRUNEAF developed from the first unified public presentation of a handful of tribal antique dealers in 1983 in the Sablon area. It is now one of the leading such fairs in Europe. Since 1996, the fair has included international galleries, including France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Netherlands, and the US. Today, it includes African, Oceanian, Indonesian, pre-Columbian, Asiatic, and Australian Aboriginal art.
The Akan peoples, Ashanti in particular, used gold as a means of payment until colonial currencies were imposed at the beginning of the 20th century. Kept in powder in small boxes, this gold was weighed with scales and weights. Over 2,000 of these weights are kept in the collection of Monnaie de Paris, thanks to various legacies and donations, the last of which occurred in 2018. Through a selection, the 11 Conti Museum explains the origins and unexpected originalities of these small bronze figures that immerse us in the daily life of this region of Africa. The visitor will discover that beyond the gold weighed to trade, the weights say much more than a simple price! This universe - far removed from Western metrology - is recontextualised within the rich Akan culture and the relations which linked Africa - and in particular the Gold Coast - with the West.
Objects of Art LLC is proud to announce the acquisition of the treasured San Francisco Tribal and Textile Art Show, the leading Tribal art fair showcasing the arts of tribal cultures and indigenous peoples of the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Polynesia, the Middle East and Africa. Originally developed by the team of Caskey Lees, the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art show presents over 80 national and international galleries, displaying museum-quality objects and artifacts in visually striking settings perfect for browsing by tribal art collectors, first-time guests and enthusiasts. This show presents the rare opportunity to find that unique object that you can bring home and enjoy.
Tate Modern presents the first major mid-career survey of visual activist Zanele Muholi in the UK. Born in South Africa, Muholi came to prominence in the early 2000s with photographs that sought to envision black lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex lives beyond deviance or victimhood. Muholi’s work challenges hetero-patriarchal ideologies and representations, presenting the participants in their photographs as confident and beautiful individuals bravely existing in the face of prejudice, intolerance and, frequently, violence. While Muholi’s intimate photographs of others launched their international career, their intense self-portraits solidified it. This exhibition will present the full breadth of Muholi’s photographic and activist practice.
Second Careers explores the connections between historical African art and contemporary practices through a selection of exemplary highlights from the museum’s African collection and loaned works. CMA objects from nine cultures in Central and West Africa—male and female figures and masks, masquerade costume, a hunter’s tunic, and a prestige throne—are juxtaposed with large-scale installations, sculptures, and photographs by six leading contemporary African artists. The exhibition considers the status of canonical African art objects when they begin their “second careers” upon entering museum collections.
The DMA’s Conservation and Arts of Africa departments, in an exciting and cutting-edge collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center, will present CT scans of a Senufo helmet mask from the Museum’s African art collection. This kind of mask is worn like a helmet by a medium at initiations, funerals, harvest celebrations and secret events conducted by the powerful male-only Komo society, which has traditionally maintained social and spiritual harmony in Senufo villages in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Visible attachments on the mask include a female figure, cowrie shells, and imported glassware. The CT-scans reveal unexpected materials beneath the surface and objects contained in the attached animal horns that empower the mask.