From Savanna to Savannah African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

January 19–April 14, 2013

Georgia Museum of ArtUniversity of Georgia

This exhibition is sponsored by the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation, the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, and the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations, and corporations provide additional support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation.

front cover:Baule (Ivory Coast)Goli Glin dance mask, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 35 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 inches

back cover:Yoruba (Nigeria) Beaded prestige vest, ca. 1935–65 Cloth, beads, and shells, 45 x 30 x 2 inches

Georgia Museum of ArtUniversity of Georgia90 Carlton StreetAthens, Georgia 30602-6719tel 706.542.GMOAgeorgiamuseum.org

Drawn from an extensive private collection in Savannah, Georgia,

From Savanna to Savannah: African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

includes sacred, meaningful objects created by numerous peoples

in sub-Saharan Africa. Works of art in various media—wood, bronze,

terracotta, sandstone, and cloth—from regions as diverse as Cameroon,

Guinea, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo present

examples from the visual and material culture of Africa that

demonstrate cultural concepts and religious beliefs.

Benin (Nigeria) King and queen, 1929 Bronze, 24 x 10 x 5 inches

From Savanna to Savannah African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

Like much traditional African art, the works in the Kole Collection

originally emphasized the prestige or station of their owners or

operated within spiritual contexts. The chairs and stools on display

served as visual markers of status for men who held political positions

of importance within a culture or who were members of title societies.

Kola nuts are among the most culturally important symbols in Nigeria,

used in both hospitality ceremonies and rituals. An Igbo proverb states,

“He who brings kola brings life.” As such, the kola bowl with carvings

pictured at right indicates the wealth and status of its original owner.

Spiritual items not only exist to honor or to appeal to deities and

ancestors, but also to serve as tools to connect to divination. African

art often attempted to transform abstract ideas and issues into visible

and tangible realities for its users. Numerous works on display here

focus on life and fertility, as their owners dealt on a personal and a

communal level with basic human concerns. An uneven surface on

the boli, a cult and power object from the Bamana people, intentionally

obscures (to protect the power from misuse by outsiders) exact identi-

fication of the organic and inorganic materials used to create the work

by the leader of a power association, organizations that attract diverse

members trained and dedicated to safeguarding individuals and com-

munities and to ensuring general well-being through the “energy of

action.” Objects like the boli functioned on multiple levels in their

original contexts.clockwise from top left:

Benin (Nigeria)Chief’s stool, late 19th or early 20th centuryBronze, 19 x 18 x 18 inches

Igbo (Nigeria) Kola bowl with carvings, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 9 x 15 x 15 inches

Luba (Democratic Republic of Congo) Prestige stool, ca. 1900–50 Wood, 16 x 12 x 12 inches

Ashanti (Ghana) Prestige stool, ca. 1925–50 Wood, metal, and cord, 13 x 21 1⁄2 x 10 inches

Anyi (Ivory Coast) Standing woman with fertility symbolism, ca. 1935–65 Wood and beads, 15 x 5 1⁄2 x 4 inches

Baga (Guinea)Male fertility figure in agricultural ceremonies, ca. 1935–65Wood, 49 x 11 x 20 inches

Songye (Democratic Republic of Congo) Mask for social control and wealth redistribution, ca. 1900–50 Wood, pigments, and fiber, 66 x 11 x 11 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast) Face mask, ca. 1935–65 Wood, 13 x 7 x 6 inches

Individuals (although now often unidentified as a result of time, distance,

and historical neglect) of both sexes who were trained in their respective

skilled crafts made most of these objects. The Kole Collection features

several masks from various areas of West Africa. For example, the

Mende helmet masks of the Sande female secret society, which serves

to educate and to initiate young women into adulthood, dramatize the

powerful femininity and the manifest spirit of the group. Two of the more

striking objects in this exhibition are the Baga painted wood representa-

tion of a serpent, a protective spirit that presides over young men’s ritual

initiations and is often worn as a headdress, and a larger-than-life bird,

also from the Baga people (both at right).

Even more so than traditional Western art, African art objects take a

long and reductive sojourn from their original contexts and meanings

to their placements within the galleries of an American art museum.

It is important to note that these works of art were most often used in

ceremonies and events that involved all the senses. Their display here

at the Georgia Museum of Art ultimately celebrates the passion and

interest of a Georgia private collector, Don Kole, in significant works

of African material culture.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Don Kole and his wife, Kaye, for sharing this small sampling

of their vast collection of African art with our audiences at the Georgia

Museum of Art. I greatly appreciate the assistance of William Darrell

Moseley as guest curator and as consultant for this exhibition project.

His wisdom and connoisseurship made it possible. I also thank registrars

Tricia Miller and Sarina Rousso, photographer David Kaminsky, and graphic

designer Jenny Smith for their assistance and the Friends of the Georgia

Museum of Art for their sponsorship of this exhibition.

—Paul Manoguerra

Chief curator and curator of American artGeorgia Museum of Art

clockwise from top left:

Baga (Guinea) Large bird, ca. 1935–65 Wood, brass, and horsehair 75 x 52 x 42 inches

Baga (Guinea) Protective spirit serpent, ca. 1935–65 Painted wood, 25 x 19 x 19 inches

Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) Power figure, ca. 1900–50 Wood, feathers, hemp, nails, cloth, and paint 37 x 11 x 9 1⁄2 inches

Mende (Sierra Leone) Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65Blackened wood and raffia 34 x 11 x 12 inches

Dogon (Mali)Door lock with carved figures, ca. 1900–50Wood, 11 x 10 x 1 3⁄4 inches

Anyi (Ivory Coast)Standing woman with fertility symbolism, ca. 1935–65Wood and beads, 15 x 5 1⁄2 x 4 inches

Dan (Liberia)Chief’s chair, ca. 1935–65Wood, 35 x 22 1⁄2 x 22 1⁄2 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria)Torque, ca. 1935–65Bronze, 11 x 12 inches

Southern grass fields (Cameroon)Ancestor memorial figure, ca. 1920Terracotta, 20 x 8 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄2 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast)Face mask, ca. 1935–65Wood, 13 x 7 x 6 inches

Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo)Power figure, ca. 1900–50Wood, feathers, hemp, nails, cloth, and paint37 x 11 x 9 1⁄2 inches

Possibly attributed to Olowe of Ise, Yoruba (Nigeria)Chief on horseback house post, ca. 1900–50Wood, 72 x 7 x 7 inches

Kongo (Democratic Republic of Congo)Two-faced protection figure, ca. 1935–65Nails, iron, wood, and paint, 27 x 10 x 11 inches

Benin (Nigeria)Chief’s stool, late 19th or early 20th centuryBronze, 19 x 18 x 18 inches

Baga (Guinea)Large bird, ca. 1935–65Wood, brass, and horsehair, 75 x 52 x 42 inches

Igbo (Nigeria)Ancestor figure, ca. 1935–65Wood, 35 x 9 x 3 inches

From Savanna to Savannah: African Art from the Collection of Don Kole

Mossi (Burkina Faso)Five fertility dolls, ca. 1935–65Wood, largest 12 x 2 x 2 inches

Mende (Sierra Leone)Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 18 x 8 x 8 inches

Luba (Democratic Republic of Congo)Prestige stool, ca. 1900–50Wood, 16 x 12 x 12 inches

East Pende (Democratic Republic of Congo)Dance mask, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 10 x 17 x 5 1⁄2 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria)Egungun dance costume, ca. 1935–65Hand-woven cloth, metal, and wood, 84 x 27 x 27 inches

Toma (Liberia)Spirit mask with crustaceans and money, ca. 1900–50Wood and metal, 58 x 20 x 15 inches

Baga (Guinea)Shoulder mask for ceremonial dancers at tribal fairs, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 27 x 18 x 32 inches

Igbo (Nigeria)Double-faced dance mask, ca. 1935–65Wood, glass, and seeds, 30 x 13 x 13 inches

Mende (Sierra Leone)Helmet mask of Sande female secret society, ca. 1935–65Blackened wood and raffia, 34 x 11 x 12 inches

Baga (Guinea)Male fertility figure in agricultural ceremonies, ca. 1935–65Wood, 49 x 11 x 20 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast)Divination equestrian figure, ca. 1935–65Wood, 15 1⁄2 x 11 x 3 inches

Mossi (Burkina Faso)Tall-planked funerary dance mask, ca. 1900–50Wood, 66 x 5 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 inches

Ogoni (Nigeria)Burial pottery, ca. 1900–50Terracotta, 22 1⁄2 x 12 x 9 inches

Mossi (Burkina Faso)Spiked honey pot, ca. 1900–50Terracotta, 20 x 20 x 20 inches

Benin (Nigeria)King’s ceremonial sword, late 19th or early 20th centuryIron, 38 x 10 x 3 inches

Senufo (Ivory Coast)Pair of maternity figures, ca. 1935–65Ironwood, 29 x 12 x 11 inches each

Lobi (Burkina Faso)Figure for protection (twins), ca. 1935–65Ironwood, 32 x 7 1⁄2 x 5 inches

Benin (Nigeria)King and queen, 1929Bronze, 24 x 10 x 5 inches

Dan (Liberia)Pair of musical instruments, ca. 1935–65Wood and fabric, 24 x 7 x 7 inches each

Songye (Democratic Republic of Congo)Mask for social control and wealth redistribution, ca. 1900–50Wood, pigments, and fiber, 66 x 11 x 11 inches

Baule (Ivory Coast)Senior female maternity figure and spousal male figure, ca. 1935–65Wood, 54 x 12 x 14 inches each

Igbo (Nigeria)Kola bowl with carvings, ca. 1935–65Wood, 9 x 15 x 15 inches

Baule (Ivory Coast)Granary door with carvings, ca. 1925–50Wood, 58 x 26 x 2 inches

Baga (Guinea)Protective spirit serpent, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 25 x 19 x 19 inches

Bamana (Mali)Boli protective cult object, ca. 1925–50Wood and mixed organic materials, 21 x 27 x 9 inches

Yoruba (Nigeria)Beaded prestige vest, ca. 1935–65Cloth, beads, and shells, 45 x 30 x 2 inches

Bamana (Mali)Family tree puppet, ca. 1935–65Wood, metal, cloth, and beads, 47 x 12 x 12 inches

Ashanti (Ghana)Prestige stool, ca. 1925–50Wood, metal, and cord, 13 x 21 1⁄2 x 10 inches

Bamileke (Cameroon)Horizontal head mask, ca. 1935–65Wood, 9 1⁄2 x 12 x 15 inches

Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)Post figure for use in initiation ceremonies, ca. 1935–65Wood, pigments, fabric, raffia, and fibers, 24 x 19 x 16 inches

Baule (Ivory Coast)Goli Glin dance mask, ca. 1935–65Painted wood, 35 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 inches

All objects collection of Don Kole.