GRIAULE (Marcel) — Arts of Black Africa - Lot 139

Lot 139
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GRIAULE (Marcel) — Arts of Black Africa - Lot 139
GRIAULE (Marcel) — Arts of Black Africa GRIAULE, Marcel. Arts of Black Africa. Photographs taken by Emmanuel Sougez at the Musée de l'Homme. “Arts du Monde” series, edited by Georges de Miré. Paris: Les Éditions du Chêne, 1947. In-8 format, approximately 23.5 × 16 cm, 127 pp., numerous photographic reproductions within the text and as full-page spreads, primarily in black and white, with a few color illustrations. Publisher’s hardcover, with original green illustrated dust jacket. First edition This is indeed the first edition from 1947, as confirmed in particular by the BnF and specialized bibliographic catalogs. The book comprises 127 pages and features photographs by Emmanuel Sougez. This detail is relevant to the sale: there is also an English edition, *Folk Art of Black Africa*, published in 1950. First edition of this important work on the traditional arts of sub-Saharan Africa by Marcel Griaule, illustrated with photographs by Emmanuel Sougez taken at the Musée de l’Homme. A leading ethnologist of the French school, particularly known for his work on the Dogon, Marcel Griaule offers here a comprehensive study of African artistic creation, examined in relation to beliefs, ancestor worship, rituals, social life, and religious concepts. The book presents a vast collection of objects from, among other places, French Sudan, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Dahomey, Congo, Gabon, Guinea, and Nigeria: masks, statuettes, sculptures, terracotta pieces, vessels, ritual objects, and everyday items. The photographs by Emmanuel Sougez, a leading figure in 20th-century French photography, lend the book a distinctive visual quality. They were taken from the collections of the Musée de l’Homme; the institutional bibliography describes the book as containing 108 illustrations, four of which are in color. The book is particularly interesting as a testament to how African art was studied and presented in France immediately after World War II, straddling the line between ethnography and a purely aesthetic appreciation of the objects. The value of your copy lies primarily in the presence of the original dust jacket, which must be preserved at all costs. Hardcover: appears well-preserved beneath the dust jacket. Interior: in good overall condition; paper slightly yellowed, as is typical for the era; clean, well-contrasted reproductions. Dust jacket: complete but clearly worn, with scuffing, small tears, and creases, particularly at the top edge and corners; a small loss or beginning of a tear at the upper right corner. Spine slightly faded.
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