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