From Savanna to Savannah: African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

From Savanna to Savannah African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

January 19–April 14, 2013 Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia

Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, Georgia 30602-6719 tel 706.542.GMOA georgiamuseum.org

front cover: Baule (Ivory Coast) Goli Glin dance mask, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 35 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 inches

back cover: Yoruba (Nigeria) Beaded prestige vest, ca. 1935–65 Cloth, beads, and shells, 45 x 30 x 2 inches

This exhibition is sponsored by the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art. Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation, the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, and the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations, and corporations provide additional support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation.

From Savanna to Savannah African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

Drawn from an extensive private collection in Savannah, Georgia, From Savanna to Savannah: African Art from the Collection of Don Kole includes sacred, meaningful objects created by numerous peoples in sub-Saharan Africa. Works of art in various media—wood, bronze, terracotta, sandstone, and cloth—from regions as diverse as Cameroon, Guinea, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo present Benin (Nigeria) King and queen, 1929 Bronze, 24 x 10 x 5 inches

examples from the visual and material culture of Africa that demonstrate cultural concepts and religious beliefs.

Like much traditional African art, the works in the Kole Collection originally emphasized the prestige or station of their owners or operated within spiritual contexts. The chairs and stools on display served as visual markers of status for men who held political positions of importance within a culture or who were members of title societies.

Kola nuts are among the most culturally important symbols in Nigeria, used in both hospitality ceremonies and rituals. An Igbo proverb states, “He who brings kola brings life.” As such, the kola bowl with carvings pictured at right indicates the wealth and status of its original owner.

Spiritual items not only exist to honor or to appeal to deities and ancestors, but also to serve as tools to connect to divination. African art often attempted to transform abstract ideas and issues into visible and tangible realities for its users. Numerous works on display here focus on life and fertility, as their owners dealt on a personal and a communal level with basic human concerns. An uneven surface on the boli, a cult and power object from the Bamana people, intentionally obscures (to protect the power from misuse by outsiders) exact identification of the organic and inorganic materials used to create the work by the leader of a power association, organizations that attract diverse members trained and dedicated to safeguarding individuals and communities and to ensuring general well-being through the “energy of action.” Objects like the boli functioned on multiple levels in their original contexts. clockwise from top left: Benin (Nigeria) Chief’s stool, late 19th or early 20th century Bronze, 19 x 18 x 18 inches Igbo (Nigeria) Kola bowl with carvings, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 9 x 15 x 15 inches Luba (Democratic Republic of Congo) Prestige stool, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 16 x 12 x 12 inches Ashanti (Ghana) Prestige stool, ca. 1925–50 Wood, metal, and cord, 13 x 21 1⁄2 x 10 inches

Anyi (Ivory Coast) Standing woman with fertility symbolism, ca. 1935–65 Wood and beads, 15 x 5 1⁄2 x 4 inches

Baga (Guinea) Male fertility figure in agricultural ceremonies, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 49 x 11 x 20 inches

Songye (Democratic Republic of Congo) Mask for social control and wealth redistribution, ca. 1900–50 Wood, pigments, and fiber, 66 x 11 x 11 inches

enufo (Ivory Coast) S Face mask, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 13 x 7 x 6 inches

Individuals (although now often unidentified as a result of time, distance,

clockwise from top left:

and historical neglect) of both sexes who were trained in their respective

Baga (Guinea) L arge bird, ca. 1935–65 Wood, brass, and horsehair 75 x 52 x 42 inches

skilled crafts made most of these objects. The Kole Collection features several masks from various areas of West Africa. For example, the Mende helmet masks of the Sande female secret society, which serves to educate and to initiate young women into adulthood, dramatize the powerful femininity and the manifest spirit of the group. Two of the more striking objects in this exhibition are the Baga painted wood representation of a serpent, a protective spirit that presides over young men’s ritual initiations and is often worn as a headdress, and a larger-than-life bird, also from the Baga people (both at right).

Even more so than traditional Western art, African art objects take a long and reductive sojourn from their original contexts and meanings to their placements within the galleries of an American art museum.

It is important to note that these works of art were most often used in ceremonies and events that involved all the senses. Their display here at the Georgia Museum of Art ultimately celebrates the passion and interest of a Georgia private collector, Don Kole, in significant works of African material culture.

Acknowledgments Thank you to Don Kole and his wife, Kaye, for sharing this small sampling of their vast collection of African art with our audiences at the Georgia Museum of Art. I greatly appreciate the assistance of William Darrell Moseley as guest curator and as consultant for this exhibition project.

His wisdom and connoisseurship made it possible. I also thank registrars Tricia Miller and Sarina Rousso, photographer David Kaminsky, and graphic designer Jenny Smith for their assistance and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art for their sponsorship of this exhibition.

—Paul Manoguerra Chief curator and curator of American art Georgia Museum of Art

Baga (Guinea) Protective spirit serpent, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 25 x 19 x 19 inches Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) Power figure, ca. 1900–50 Wood, feathers, hemp, nails, cloth, and paint 37 x 11 x 9 1⁄2 inches Mende (Sierra Leone) Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65 Blackened wood and raffia 34 x 11 x 12 inches

From Savanna to Savannah: African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

Dogon (Mali) Door lock with carved figures, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 11 x 10 x 1 3⁄4 inches

Mossi (Burkina Faso) Five fertility dolls, ca. 1935–65 Wood, largest 12 x 2 x 2 inches

Anyi (Ivory Coast) Standing woman with fertility symbolism, ca. 1935–65 Wood and beads, 15 x 5 1⁄2 x 4 inches

Mende (Sierra Leone) Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 18 x 8 x 8 inches

Dan (Liberia) Chief’s chair, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 35 x 22 1⁄2 x 22 1⁄2 inches

Luba (Democratic Republic of Congo) Prestige stool, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 16 x 12 x 12 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria) Torque, ca. 1935–65 Bronze, 11 x 12 inches

East Pende (Democratic Republic of Congo) Dance mask, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 10 x 17 x 5 1⁄2 inches

Southern grass fields (Cameroon) Ancestor memorial figure, ca. 1920 Terracotta, 20 x 8 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄2 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria) Egungun dance costume, ca. 1935–65 Hand-woven cloth, metal, and wood, 84 x 27 x 27 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast) Face mask, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 13 x 7 x 6 inches

Toma (Liberia) Spirit mask with crustaceans and money, ca. 1900–50 Wood and metal, 58 x 20 x 15 inches

Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) Power figure, ca. 1900–50 Wood, feathers, hemp, nails, cloth, and paint 37 x 11 x 9 1⁄2 inches

Baga (Guinea) Shoulder mask for ceremonial dancers at tribal fairs, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 27 x 18 x 32 inches

Possibly attributed to Olowe of Ise, Yoruba (Nigeria) Chief on horseback house post, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 72 x 7 x 7 inches

Igbo (Nigeria) Double-faced dance mask, ca. 1935–65 Wood, glass, and seeds, 30 x 13 x 13 inches

Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) Two-faced protection figure, ca. 1935–65 Nails, iron, wood, and paint, 27 x 10 x 11 inches

Mende (Sierra Leone) Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65 Blackened wood and raffia, 34 x 11 x 12 inches

Benin (Nigeria) Chief’s stool, late 19th or early 20th century Bronze, 19 x 18 x 18 inches

Baga (Guinea) Male fertility figure in agricultural ceremonies, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 49 x 11 x 20 inches

Baga (Guinea) Large bird, ca. 1935–65 Wood, brass, and horsehair, 75 x 52 x 42 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast) Divination equestrian figure, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 15 1⁄2 x 11 x 3 inches

Igbo (Nigeria) Ancestor figure, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 35 x 9 x 3 inches

Mossi (Burkina Faso) Tall-planked funerary dance mask, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 66 x 5 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 inches

Ogoni (Nigeria) Burial pottery, ca. 1900–50 Terracotta, 22 1⁄2 x 12 x 9 inches

Bamana (Mali) Boli protective cult object, ca. 1925–50 Wood and mixed organic materials, 21 x 27 x 9 inches

Mossi (Burkina Faso) Spiked honey pot, ca. 1900–50 Terracotta, 20 x 20 x 20 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria) Beaded prestige vest, ca. 1935–65 Cloth, beads, and shells, 45 x 30 x 2 inches

Benin (Nigeria) King’s ceremonial sword, late 19th or early 20th century Iron, 38 x 10 x 3 inches

Bamana (Mali) Family tree puppet, ca. 1935–65 Wood, metal, cloth, and beads, 47 x 12 x 12 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast) Pair of maternity figures, ca. 1935–65 Ironwood, 29 x 12 x 11 inches each

Ashanti (Ghana) Prestige stool, ca. 1925–50 Wood, metal, and cord, 13 x 21 1⁄2 x 10 inches

Lobi (Burkina Faso) Figure for protection (twins), ca. 1935–65 Ironwood, 32 x 7 1⁄2 x 5 inches

Bamileke (Cameroon) Horizontal head mask, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 9 1⁄2 x 12 x 15 inches

Benin (Nigeria) King and queen, 1929 Bronze, 24 x 10 x 5 inches

Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) Post figure for use in initiation ceremonies, ca. 1935–65 Wood, pigments, fabric, raffia, and fibers, 24 x 19 x 16 inches

Dan (Liberia) Pair of musical instruments, ca. 1935–65 Wood and fabric, 24 x 7 x 7 inches each

Baule (Ivory Coast) Goli Glin dance mask, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 35 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 inches

Songye (Democratic Republic of Congo) Mask for social control and wealth redistribution, ca. 1900–50 Wood, pigments, and fiber, 66 x 11 x 11 inches

All objects collection of Don Kole.

Baule (Ivory Coast) Senior female maternity figure and spousal male figure, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 54 x 12 x 14 inches each Igbo (Nigeria) Kola bowl with carvings, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 9 x 15 x 15 inches Baule (Ivory Coast) Granary door with carvings, ca. 1925–50 Wood, 58 x 26 x 2 inches Baga (Guinea) Protective spirit serpent, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 25 x 19 x 19 inches