Archives | Nigeria
Mumuye Figure
Nigeria
Iagalagana figure
Early 20th century
Carved wood and pigments
Height: 114 cm – 44 ¾ in.
Provenance
Ex collection Guy Montbarbon, Paris
Ex collection Wolfgang Lauber, Germany
Ex Christie’s Paris, 23 juin 2015, lot 21
Ex collection Elliott & Amy Lawrence, New York,
acquired at the above auction
Published & exhibited
“Die expressive Geste, Deutsche Expressionisten und afrikanische Kunst” , Städtische Galerie Neues Schloss und Bibelgalerie, Meersburg am Bodensee, Peter Stepan and Wolfgang Lauber, Ostfildern, June 7th September 2007, fig. 11
Sold
The Mumuye live in the foothills of the Shebshi Mountains near the banks of the Benue in eastern Nigeria. This agrarian people is comprised of three different dialectal groups, and was long unknown to Westerners, who discovered their art only in the late 1960s.
The Mumuye used sculptures called Iagalagana in different rituals: the figures played a central role in ancestor worship and in curing ceremonies. They served as intercessors between the spirit world and that of men, and served as proof of the high status of the family that owned them.
This large figure is characterized by its remarkable dynamism, reinforced by the angular breaks in the rhythm of the piece that are so characteristic of Mumuye art.
The arms echo the movement of the torso and the facial features are intensely expressive. The composition of the figure illustrate how Mumuye statuary constantly reinvents its treatment of the human body. Great dynamism and fascinating juxtaposition of negative and positive space are evidenced in this Mumuye sculpture.
The Mumuye used sculptures called Iagalagana in different rituals: the figures played a central role in ancestor worship and in curing ceremonies. They served as intercessors between the spirit world and that of men, and served as proof of the high status of the family that owned them.
This large figure is characterized by its remarkable dynamism, reinforced by the angular breaks in the rhythm of the piece that are so characteristic of Mumuye art.
The arms echo the movement of the torso and the facial features are intensely expressive. The composition of the figure illustrate how Mumuye statuary constantly reinvents its treatment of the human body. Great dynamism and fascinating juxtaposition of negative and positive space are evidenced in this Mumuye sculpture.
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