Statue

Male human figure from the Mbole people of the Congo. “The curved body and the heavy, disjointed limbs convey, with extraordinary effectiveness, the abandonment of death. The skillfully faceted volumes, flowing uninterrupted and sinuously from head to feet as though drawn downward, the carefully calculated void between the hollow chest and the arms, and the asymmetry and earthy white color of the heart-shaped concave face and the tall fan-shaped diadem (the traces of the patina have now yellowed), enhance the dramatic expressiveness of the image” (quoted from E. Bassani [ed.], Arte dell'Africa Nera, Florence–Milan, Skira, 2000). The work is part of the Bassani Collection (inv. AFR 00075 2513A).

Photo: Paolo Vandrasch, Milano; Giuliano Spagnul, Milano; Vivi Papi, Varese.

Courtesy MUDEC.