African Art Club

Kraftfigur aus der Yombe-Region, Anonymus, Dem. Rep. Kongo, 2.Hälfte 19. Jhd.

In 19th century Europe, African works of art were still seen, at best, as curiosities. It was the German explorer Leo Frobenius, who at the end of the century was one of the first to recognise the aesthetic appeal of African wood-carvings. His discovery was closely followed by that of the artists of the avant-garde. ..

Portrait eines Mannes aus Shirati (heutiges Tansania), ca. 1910. Fotograf: Dr. Robert Lohmeyer. Bildarchiv SMfV

In Munich, for example, Kandinsky, Macke and Marc were regular visitors to the Völkerkunde-Museum (Museum of Ethnology) and were clearly inspired by the African exhibits. It took several decades before the exceptional creations of traditional African art were able to find their place in the Western world of art. Now, at last, they are given full respect in their own right on the global stage. The excellent craftmanship of the artists is highly admired and the innovative design, often achieved through the abstraction and reduction of form, gives rise to great fascination.

Mein Afrika. Die Sammlung Fritz Koen…

*** Find the website, curators contact information and more about this Museum with 160,000 objecs & important images archives in the members section below *** ...

World Cultural Preservation: A Growing Imperative

A conversation with the Smithsonian Institution’s Richard Kurin

Richard Kurin, under secretary for history, art, and culture at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, sat down with the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs for a discussion on protecting cultural heritage.

…I believe that when people lose their cultural heritage they lose their moral grounding, their connection to their own past…

…The cultural economy has grown extraordinarily in the last several decades, and I think nowadays it is actually the largest part of the international economy….

…it is very important to invest in culture, give it value, give it a place, and nurture it, not just for its intangible qualities – the aspects that give meaning to life – but also for its very tangible benefits, which are sometimes economic, sometimes political, sometimes even medical and scientific….

Tuesday, 16 March 2010,  in collaboration with America.gov

Read the interview..

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