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This sculpture of a woman gazes coolly at the viewer, her shoulders rolled forward and hips set back. The large feet give weight and solidity to the small figure. The angular nose, chin, and breasts draw attention to the pointed stomach nestled between shortened arms. The figure’s gently turned head, bent elbows, and flexed knees convey a sense of suspense, as if she is ready to respond to someone or something to her right. Beyond the sculpture’s formal appeal, however, very little is known of its origins or function. The sculpture was once labeled “Wabembe,” a colonial designation for people living in what is now Burkina Faso, but the artist’s and patron’s intentions are unknown.
Likely collected by an occupying colonial official before it was purchased by the American artist John Graham about 1930, this figure’s mysterious origins are an example of the erasures that affect African art history as objects move from their place of origin through colonial or missionary collections and on to individual art collectors. As the artwork passed through different hands, details of its original context were lost, or perhaps they were never collected. Yet it is clear that the artist who sculpted this strong female figure was innovative. He borrowed elements from styles associated with Senufo, Gurunsi and other traditions in the area where Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali meet. Another nearly identical sculpture is known, indicating that the piece is not a lone experiment, but an innovation that successfully found patronage. Because of the unusual style, however, the sculpture cannot be firmly associated with an art tradition that could shed light on its use and meaning. The artists’ creativity makes the lost story of this sculpture even more tantalizing.
View: 3/4 left profile
Female figure
Senufo-Gurunsi
before 1930
Object Place: Burkino Faso
Medium/Technique
Wood
Dimensions
40.6 x 12.7 x 12.1 cm (16 x 5 x 4 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of William E. Teel
Accession Number2014.144
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAfrica and Oceania
ClassificationsSculpture
This sculpture of a woman gazes coolly at the viewer, her shoulders rolled forward and hips set back. The large feet give weight and solidity to the small figure. The angular nose, chin, and breasts draw attention to the pointed stomach nestled between shortened arms. The figure’s gently turned head, bent elbows, and flexed knees convey a sense of suspense, as if she is ready to respond to someone or something to her right. Beyond the sculpture’s formal appeal, however, very little is known of its origins or function. The sculpture was once labeled “Wabembe,” a colonial designation for people living in what is now Burkina Faso, but the artist’s and patron’s intentions are unknown.
Likely collected by an occupying colonial official before it was purchased by the American artist John Graham about 1930, this figure’s mysterious origins are an example of the erasures that affect African art history as objects move from their place of origin through colonial or missionary collections and on to individual art collectors. As the artwork passed through different hands, details of its original context were lost, or perhaps they were never collected. Yet it is clear that the artist who sculpted this strong female figure was innovative. He borrowed elements from styles associated with Senufo, Gurunsi and other traditions in the area where Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali meet. Another nearly identical sculpture is known, indicating that the piece is not a lone experiment, but an innovation that successfully found patronage. Because of the unusual style, however, the sculpture cannot be firmly associated with an art tradition that could shed light on its use and meaning. The artists’ creativity makes the lost story of this sculpture even more tantalizing.
ProvenanceProbably purchased in Europe by John Graham (Ivan Gratianovich Dombrowsky, b. 1886 - d. 1961), New York, for Frank Crowninshield (b. 1872 – d. 1947), New York [see note]; 1930s, traded by Graham to Edgar Lévy (b. 1907 – d. 1975), New York; to his son, Joel Levy, New York; sold by Levy to Michael Oliver Inc. Ethnographic Art, New York; November 9, 1979, sold by Michael Oliver to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 2014, bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 26, 2014)
NOTE: On the relationship between Graham and Crowninshield, see Christa Clarke, “John Graham and the Crowninshield Collection of African Art,” Winterthur Portfolio 30, no. 1 (Spring, 1995): 23-29. Crowninshield hired Graham to build his collection of African art, and it is very likely that Graham purchased this for Crowninshield and then traded it on his behalf in the 1930s. According to dealer Michael Oliver, “this figure was owned by the American artist John Graham who obtained it from Frank Crowninshield. Graham traded the piece to another painter Edgar Levy in the early 1930s.”
NOTE: On the relationship between Graham and Crowninshield, see Christa Clarke, “John Graham and the Crowninshield Collection of African Art,” Winterthur Portfolio 30, no. 1 (Spring, 1995): 23-29. Crowninshield hired Graham to build his collection of African art, and it is very likely that Graham purchased this for Crowninshield and then traded it on his behalf in the 1930s. According to dealer Michael Oliver, “this figure was owned by the American artist John Graham who obtained it from Frank Crowninshield. Graham traded the piece to another painter Edgar Levy in the early 1930s.”