COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS ARTS AND CRAFTS - Lot 75

Lot 75
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COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS ARTS AND CRAFTS - Lot 75
COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS ARTS AND CRAFTS Black Art of the Belgian Congo. Brussels, Éditions du Chat qui pêche, 1951 [the work is also listed as 1950 in some bibliographies and institutional catalogs]. Quarto, approximately 198 pp., paperback with a color-illustrated cover, numerous black-and-white photographic reproductions. The cover illustration is by Pierre Muanza, a Congolese painter. An important collective work devoted to the traditional arts and crafts of the Belgian Congo, published under the auspices of the Commission for the Protection of Indigenous Arts and Crafts within the Belgian Ministry of Colonies. Richly illustrated with documentary photographs, the book examines sculpture, statuettes, and masks as well as artisanal productions, techniques, and materials used. It also devotes attention to the transformations of Congolese art in the mid-20th century and to contemporary creation. The specialized bibliography notably confirms the presence of articles devoted to indigenous arts and missions, to early Congolese painting, and to the history of the Commission. Of particular interest is the cover illustration by Pierre Muanza, explicitly credited on the title page as a “Congolese painter.” It lends the work an additional dimension as a testament to the gradual recognition of Congolese artists in the official publications of the time. This publication is now quite sought after in the historical bibliography of Congolese arts, both for its extensive photographic documentation and as a historiographical record of the colonial period. Condition: complete copy in used condition. Cover heavily scuffed, with wear and small losses along the edges and on the headbands, creases, and signs of wear; back cover soiled. Interior in noticeably better condition, with a few marks and small foxing spots. An old stamp on the title page, the inscription of which has been blacked out with ink.
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