PAST IS PROLOGUE II

PAST IS PROLOGUE II

THREE CENTURIES OF AFRICAN ART

INTRODUCTION

African art, a term as expansive as the continent itself, has demonstrated a constant evolution of creativity and cultural expression. From Namibia cave paintings dating from 27,000 years ago to the contemporary art scenes of Lagos, Dakar, and Johannesburg, Africa has consistently played a crucial role in shaping the global aesthetic canon.

Classical African art was profoundly integral to the societies from which it sprung and a significant component of the communal, spiritual, and political structures of the many numerous and distinct cultures who produced it From intricately carved masks to powerful, awe-inspiring wooden power statuary, the objects provided a visual language through which these societies communicated not just with each other, but also with the spiritual realm, and with the natural world around them. In this presentation you will discover six objects of classical sculpture, each selected for its sculptural refinement, age, authenticity, and provenance

In the contemporary era, African art continues to evolve, reflecting the myriad changes that the continent has undergone, both within itself and its relationship to the world. Modern African artists are increasingly engaging with themes that reflect the complexities of 21st-century life. They grapple with the effects of colonialism, globalization, and economic disparity, often providing trenchant social commentary through their work. For example, artists like William Kentridge and El Anatsui use their art to explore and critique the postcolonial condition. Kentridge's animated films and drawings confront the legacy of apartheid in his native South Africa, while Anatsui's sprawling tapestries made of recycled materials comment on issues of consumption, waste, and environmental degradation. For this exhibition we have chosen to highlight two incredible and prescient painters, Beatrice Wanjiku and Marc Standing, both of whom lend their distinct talents, discipline, and points of view to help us challenge established narratives of self, place and purpose.

After the success of our inaugural 2022 program PAST IS PROLOGUE, we are delighted to continue our partnership with Montague Contemporary to present PAST IS PROLOGUE II, a continued dialogue between classical African sculpture and contemporary works by today's leading African artists.

Cole Harrell May 2023

WORKS

Anthropozoomorphic Male Helmet Mask, egungun

Unidentified Owo Artist, Nigeria

Wood, textile, organic material

Mid XIX Century

H: 38cm

PROVENANCE

Galerie Walu, Zürich

Collection of Gerald (1937-2009) and Muriel (1948-2020) Minkoff, Genèva

Cole Harrell, New York

EXHIBITED

Zürich, Switzerland, Kamerun-Kunst der Könige/Cameroon. Art and Kings, Rietberg Museum, Zürich

3 February - 25 May 2008

LITERATURE

Expo cat: Cameroon. Art and Kings, Lorenz Homberger (editor), Zürich: Museum Rietberg Zürich

2008:183, #7

Cf:

Ethnologisches Museum (SMPK), Berlin, Germany, inv. III.C.27347 (acquired in situ by Leo Frobenius, 1912)

Ciram test no. 0323-OA-10N-2, conducted 28 April 2023, supports the suggested dating of the present mask

We extend our gratitude to Barry Hecht for his assistance in attributing the present mask.

Beatrice Wanjiku (Kenya, b. 1978) BEYOND BEAUTY (SAVAGES SERIES), 2017

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

86x58cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2017 Private Collection, Boston, MA, acquired 2018

“Beatrice Wanjiku…is one of Kenya's best-known painters. She was born in 1978 and has a large studio in the Ngong Hills so loved by Karen Blixen, where I meet her

«Art is innate in me», she tells me, «as a child I always scribbled on the walls and I was fascinated by paintings. Growing up I studied it and started working with painting. I don't paint just to paint, there is always a personal story or a story linked to the context in which I live that inspires my work. In my works I talk about issues that concern me as a woman Recently, I worked on a case of violence against a woman whose hands were cut off by her husband because according to him he was "guilty" of not giving him children, but one must also in a sense separate from one's self to tell a story that touches all as human beings, which is why I paint faces and bodies neither male nor female. My work seems violent, but in reality it is full of hope for a change, perhaps in the utopia of a better world. However chaotic the outside world is, I always imagine the possibility of making a better version of oneself ».

The bodies are reminiscent of Michelangelo and Goya. They are physical, made of flesh, blood, muscles and internal organs, and also psychic, with emptiness, loneliness and madness:

«Each of my works begins with the shape of the body, from which I try to extract the soul in an attempt to understand our reality as human beings».

-Laura Salvinelli, Artists for Africa, Elle Magazine

Anthropomorphic Face Mask, zakpäi

Unidentified Dan Artist, Cote d’Ivoire or Liberia

Wood, iron alloy, copper alloy, pigment, organic material

H: 25cm

PROVENANCE

Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, by repute

Collection of Vanna and N. Lee Lacy, Beverley Hills, California, acquired pre 1970

Cole Harrell, New York

Anthropomorphic Face Mask, nana gé

Unidentified Grebo Artist, Liberia

Wood, pigment, iron alloy, fiber, rattan

H: 32cm

PROVENANCE

American Private Collection

Pace Primitive, New York, circa 1975

Michael Oliver, New York

Collection of Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert, Paris, acquired from the above

De Baecque, Paris-Drouot, L'Art du Temps. Collection Durand-Dessert, 14 November 2018, Lot 6

Collection of David Blackhurst, California

Bonhams, New York, African & Oceanic Art, 10 November 2022, lot 126

Cole Harrell, New York

LITERATURE

Paudrat, Jean-Louis, et al., Fragments du Vivant: Sculptures Africaines dans la collection Durand-Dessert,

Milan: 5 Continents, 2008, fig. 215

EXHIBITED

Paris, France: Fragments du Vivant. Sculptures Africaines dans la collection Durand-Dessert, La Monnaie de Paris, 10-24 September 2008

Cf:

Loudmer-Poulain, Paris, Arts Primitifs, 22 November 1979, lot 57

Marc Standing (Zimbabwe, b. 1976)

THE ANCIENTS, 2021

Raw canvas, ink, acrylic, glitter 95x88cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2021 Montague Contemporary, New York Cole Harrell, New York

EXHIBITED

London, UK, Royal Academy of Arts, Reclaiming Magic, 22 September 2021-2 January 2022

(Curated by Yinka Shonibare, CBE, RA)

“The work of Zimbabwe-born artist Marc Standing defies easy categorization. His paintings harness abstraction, figuration and surrealism and never quite reveal all their secrets. They are enigmas that need to be seen – and felt – for oneself. Standing’s heritage and identity, seen from his unique perspective as a gay, white African who was born to a Jewish mother before travelling and living all over the planet, from Hong Kong to Australia to Britain, where he now resides. He is unquestionably one of the most exciting contemporary artists working in London today and in this powerful and resonant exhibition he engages movingly with universal themes of identity, culture, heritage and the meaning of home.”

-GQ Magazine Britain, 6 August 2021

Hermaphroditic Standing Power Figure, nkisi

Unidentified Songye Artist, D.R. Congo

Wood, metal, alloy, kaolin, palm oil, organic material

H: 40cm

PROVENANCE

Acquired in situ by Baroness Madeleine Christine Forani, 1952

Collection of Baroness Madeleine Christine Forani (1916-1976), Belgium

Private Collection, Belgium, 1976, thence by descent

Private Collection, California, acquired from the above, March 2017

Cole Harrell, New York

Adrian Schlag, Spain, acquired from the above

Cole Harrell, New York, acquired from the above

LITERATURE

Invitation card: New Acquisitions, Harrell Fine Art, New York, 2017

EXHIBITED

New York, NY: New Acquisitions, Harrell Fine Art, 7-27 May 2017

Marc Standing (Zimbabwe, b. 1976)

FLOATING OUT OF WATER, 2023

Acrylic on Canvas

118x80cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2023 Montague Contemporary, New York

Cole Harrell, New York

Marc Standing (Zimbabwe, b. 1976)

ECHOES IV, 2023

Acrylic on 120 g/m printmaking paper

25X20 cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2023

Montague Contemporary, New York

Cole Harrell, New York

Marc Standing (Zimbabwe, b. 1976)

ECHOES V, 2023

Acrylic on 120 g/m printmaking paper

25X20 cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2023

Montague Contemporary, New York

Cole Harrell, New York

Anthropomorphic Reliquary Head, Añgokh-Nlô-Byeri

Unidentified Fang Artist, Gabon

Wood, metal alloy, palm oil, organic material

H: 67cm

PROVENANCE

Distinguished Private Collection, France

Cole Harrell, New York

Cf:

Warnod (André), Arts decoratifs et curiosites artistiques, Paris: Comoedia, 2 January 1912:151, 201

Evans (Walker), African Negro Art-A Corpus of Photographs by Walker Evans, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1935: WE 321-322

Christie's, London, African Art from the Collection of the late Josef Mueller, 13 June 1978, lot 136 Piasa, Paris, 23 October 1996, lot 212

Sotheby's, Paris, Collection Viviane Jutheau, Comtesse de Witt: Au Coeur des Arts d’Afrique, 14 December 2016, lot 16

Añgokh-Nlô-Byeri reliquary head figures, or simply Byeri figures, are a unique canon of remarkable objects originating from the Fang people of Gabon. Crafted meticulously from wood sourced from the lush Gabonese forests, these figures exemplify the rich sculptural heritage of the region. Añgokh-Nlô-Byeri typically depict stylized human, embodying the spiritual guardianship of the ancestral remains kept in a bark wood box the Byeri was inserted into Fang carvers would painstakingly shape, smooth, and polish the wood, often accentuating the figures with metal adornments or inlays, richly anointing them with oils, pigments, and other organic material to enhance their aesthetic and spiritual resonance. They provoke a dialogue about universal themes of ancestry, death, and the afterlife. Moreover, their intriguing combination of natural materials and human depiction resonates with contemporary interests in sustainability, authenticity, and the exploration of human identity.

The present head’s eyes immediately arrest and captivate the viewer, while its beautifully sculpted nose, lips and rare open mouth convey a sense of naturalistic integrity. The artist chose to offset the strict geometry of the sweeping coiffure with an elegant sweeping braid (most likely depicting cowrie shells). The richly developed patina suggests long ritual use in situ

All factors considered, the present head exemplifies the sophisticated carving traditions of the Fang, a group who’s art has inspired and captivated global audiences for well over a century.

Beatrice Wanjiku (Kenya, b. 1978)

LOSING MY RELIGION III, 2020

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

160x133cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2020

Montague Contemporary, New York

Cole Harrell, New York

Anthropomorphic Male Power Figure, nkisi

Unidentified Songye Eki-Belande Artist, D.R. Congo

Wood, copper alloy, iron alloy, human (Homo sapiens) tooth, Reedbuck Antelope (Redunca redunca) horn, palm oil, organic material

Late XVIII Century-Early XIX Century

H: 73cm

PROVENANCE

Acquired in situ by Boris Kegel-Konietzko, 1959 Collection of Boris Kegel-Konietzko (1925-2020), Germany

Distinguished Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above, 1984 Cole Harrell, New York

Cf:

Christie’s, Amsterdam, 2 July 2002, lot 262 (Collection of Baron Freddy Rolin)

Christie’s, Paris, 14 June 2011, lot 150 (Collection of Gérald Berjonneau)

Ciram test no. 0323-OA-10N-1, conducted 28 April 2023, supports the suggested dating of the present figure.

Nkisi power figures are distinctive cultural artifacts crafted by the Songye people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These compelling objects, steeped in tradition and spirituality, serve as protective charms, embodying the power to heal, harm, or predict the future. Typically carved from wood, each figure boasts a unique, humanoid form, often adorned with various materials such as horn, metal, bone, and animal skin. The intricate process of their creation involves not only physical construction but also spiritual consecration, wherein a spiritual specialist known as an Nganga infuses the nkisi with his power through rituals, prayers, and the addition of sacred substances or bilongo into a cavity in the figure. The resulting figures are imbued with a sense of life, community, power and energy that is both tangible and profound.

A newly discovered masterpiece, and undoubtedly one of the oldest, the present figure constitutes an exciting addition to the canon.

Marc Standing (Zimbabwe, b. 1976)

THE JAMBOREE, 2023

Acrylic on Canvas

86x75 cm

PROVENANCE

Executed by the artist, 2023

Montague Contemporary, New York

Cole Harrell, New York

Beatrice Wanjiku (Kenya, b. 1978) AN UNSTRUCTURED MESS, 2016 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 132x159cm

Executed by the artist, 2016 Private Collection, Washington D.C, acquired 2016

BEATRICE WANJIKU Kenya, b.1978

Beatrice Wanjiku’s distinctive canvases probe the human condition, delving into the psyche to question notions of reality and positionality. Taking her own experiences as a jumping off point for her investigations into existentialism, Wanjiku’s practice scratches away at the superficial images we project into daily life, peeling away the layers that constitute social norms to reveal spectral figures, her wraith-like figures float away from their monochrome habitats, sometimes alone, sometimes clustered in groups, their form bleeding into further abstraction.

Some selected exhibitions include "Catch a Fire," New York (2021), "Mourning a Memory," Nairobi (2018), Personal Structures “Open Borders” 57th Venice Biennale, Italy (2017), VOLTA New York (2017), “When The Heaven Meets The Earth,” Cambridge London, (2017), 1:54 New York (2016), The OSTRALE 2015, Dresden, Germany (2015), “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York, USA (2015) curated by Ugochukwu Smooth Nzewi, and “PAST IS PROLOGUE”, Cole Harrell, New York, USA (2022).

She is a recipient of the UNESCO Aschberg Bursary (2013); Lava Thomas and Peter Danzig Fellowship Award (2013); Robert Sterling Clarke Foundation Fellowship (2011); and Alliance Francaise’s and Goethe-Institut’s Most Promising Female Artist Award (2006).

Her recent international artists’ residencies include Art Omi Residency, New York, USA (2018), the Iwalewa Haus Artist Residency Program, Bayreuth, Germany (2015), Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Woodside, CA (2013), and Vermont Studio Center Program, Johnson, VT (2011).

MARC STANDING Zimbabwe, b. 1976

Marc Standing’s ethereal and abstract practice is heavily inspired by his personal life experiences, displaying a visual expression of his personal search for identity as well as the complexities felt by mass consciousness. Heavily influenced by both the natural world and his lived societal experiences, his works have the feeling of both mental nodes of thought as well as organic cellular systems in constant flux.

Marc describes his work as “…using a lot of layering with the intention of barraging the viewer with a plethora of pictorial stimulus … storytelling and imagination fuse into a visual mirage of wonderment.”

Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, Standing spent his formative years in Southern Africa, studying Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town, where he graduated with honors. Standing then spent over a decade living and working across Australia and Asia, where he participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, in Australia, China, England, the US, Greece, India, Hong Kong, Maldives, and Singapore. He is currently based out of London.

He has participated in several esteemed residencies, such as Amilla Fushi in the Maldives, as well as residencies in the Philippines, Shanghai, and Mexico. He was a finalist for the Sovereign Art Prize and his works can be found in public and private collections around the world, including the Artbank, Australia, The Groucho Club, the Cathay Pacific Collection, the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.

Produced in conjunction with exhibition PAST IS PROLOGUE II

Presented in partnership by Cole Harrell, New York and Montague Contemporary, New York

18 May – 30 June 2023

Layout and design....................................Cole Harrell, Montague Hermann

Photography................................. Sasithon Pooviriyakul, Edward Parrinello

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dr. Tai-Heng Cheng

Sasithon Pooviriyakul

Barry Hecht

Lauren Kemner MONTAGUE CONTEMPORARY

1.830.660.5089

cole@coleharrell.com www.coleharrell.com

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