The Kota Ancestors
-
Country Figures in the Metropolis
“There is a history in all men’s lives”William ShakespeareHenry IV, Part 2, Act 3, scene 1, line 75Starting Wednesday, May 11, until Saturday, June 11, Friedman and Vallois, an art deco gallery in the upper east side, will present one of the most comprehensive and illustrious exhibit on tribal art called The Kota Ancestors. In view of the fact that some museums and galleries in the city have all together ceased to feature African and Asian art, and instead opted for more contemporary art work (this is mainly due to the high cost incurred by most African and Asian exhibits), I can comfortably say that this display is a breath of fresh air, and it will certainly attract some of the most ardent art lovers.The Kota Ancestors Exhibition is from the private collection of Bernard Dulon, an art collector, and dealer from Paris. Dulon will be at the gallery during the opening reception on Thursday, May 12th between 4 – 8 PM.
Who were the Kota people?They were made up of numerous smaller groups of folks who practiced ancestor worship. That simple fact was the foundation of their art. Throughout eastern Gabon, this sort of thing was widely practiced, and their art forms are connected in one way or another to the veneration or storage of ancestral remains. In some respect, what makes Kota art so different is the fact that they are unique and distinctive, as they are made of reliquary figures with stylized heads covered in copper sheeting.When you visit the Friedman & Vallois gallery during the Kota Ancestors Exhibit, you will step into the world of a very old, and revered tribe of people, who were both remarkable and unique. Altogether the collection is made up of twenty pieces from the nineteenth Century culled from an esteemed private collection.
Friedman & Vallois27 East 67 Street
New York, NY 10065
212.517.3820
www.vallois.com
www.expertiseartafricain.comThis exhibit coincide with the inaugural of the Tribal Art New York/Africa Oceania Americas from Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 15, 2011 from 11am – 9pm. Th participating galleries are:
Tambaran Gallery: 5 East 82nd Street, NYC
Alaska on Madison: 1065 Madison Avenue, NYC
John Molloy: 49 East 78 Street, NYC
John Giltsoff at Mallett: 929 Madison Avenue, NYC
Bernard Dulon at Friedman & Vallois: 27 East 67 Street, NYC
Galerie Schoffel-Valluet: 34 East 67 Street
NASSER & Co: 34 East 67 Street, NYC
Bruce Frank Gallery: 215 West 83 Street, NYC
Pace Primitive: 32 East 57 Street, NYC
www.aoany.com
KOTA RELIQUARY FIGURE
Mahongwe people Gabon 19th century wooden frame
with copper and brass platesTribes of the Kota Obamba group would place a copper and brass plated wooden figure on top of their ossuaries which then took the generic name of mbulu ngulu (literally basket with a figure). Each piece was given its own name, thus implying an actual attempt at physical portrait.
KOTA RELIQUARY FIGURE
Obamba people Gabon 19th Century wooden frame
with copper and brass plates
KOTA RELIQUARY FIGURE
Obamba people Gabon 19th Century wooden frame
with copper and brass plates
RELIQUARY FIGURE OR MBULU NGULU
Kota-Obamba people, Gabon 19th Century wooden frame
with brass and copper
