The exhibition Art in Cameroon: Sculptural Dialogues highlights two iconic works in the Neuberger Museum’s African art collection from the Cameroon Grassfields: an expressive nineteenth-century carved Bangwa figure in wood attributed to a master carver Ateu Atsa or Efuetlacha and a mid-twentieth century intricately carved tusk from the Kedjom Kitingu kingdom.
The exhibition includes thirty powerful objects including several rarely seen sculptures. Ranging in scale from imposing architectural elements to small, embellished pipes, the objects are organized by type—figures, masks, pipes, and tusks.
This sculptural ensemble reveals the dynamic nature of Grassfields artistic expression resulting form regional interactions and trade.
It also sheds light on the extraordinary creativity found among smaller kingdoms situated in the northern periphery of the Grassfields.
Art in Cameroon: Sculptural Dialogues is curated by Marie-Thérèse Brincard, Neuberger Museum Curatorial Advisor for the African collection.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with a major essay written by Dr. Christraud Geary, Teel Senior Curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Funding for the exhibition provided in part by the Neuberger Museum of Art African Art Council; sustaining support is provided by ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County government; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; and the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art.
Image: Mask (akam). Unidentified Kingdom, Aghem/Fungom region, 20th century. Wood, fiber, and human hair(?) Private Collection.
Neuberger Museum of Art 914.251.6100 Fax:914.251.6101
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