FEMME, African Art Show Curated By Cole Harrell, Closes June 30th

Cole Harrell has been involved in the art of sub-Saharan Africa for over a decade…but you might not guess it. As an openly gay member of the New York social scene, Harrell leads a lifestyle as impressive and curated as his bespoke displays. This spring, in conjunction with Mother's Day, Harrell held an event at her Chelsea penthouse that boldly celebrated the sacred feminine through African masterpieces, aptly titled “WOMAN.” Only 13 Congolese and Yoruba tribal masks and figures will remain on display until June 30, a must-see for those interested in the rich history of black art.

“African sculptors have famously revered the female form in their work, so it seemed like a natural choice,” explains Harrell.

“Through their art, African classical sculptors sought to honor the divine feminine in all her manifestations,” the press release begins, “From the nurturing mother to the fierce warrior; from the wise elder to the playful maiden. At the heart of FEMME lies a celebration of the sacred mysteries of womanhood: the primal forces of creation and destruction, nurturing and protection, birth and rebirth.”

Harrell's selection represents motherhood, healing, and powerful journeys along the faultlines of fertility, from the sisterhood of community to the deification of the individual. Objects celebrating fertility include a Nkisi figure from the Bwende culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Kihona Luba-Zela stool, a Dan gunyege mask, and an mba Yamban mask from Guinea, by a Baga sculptor.

A catalog essay by aurore mariani explains the mba goddess as one of generosity. Literally transliterated as the “good spirit”, its supple, milk-filled form is believed to express a Baga ideal of beauty and, therefore, in its fertility, the survival of the community with bountiful harvests during sacrifices and offerings for prosperity

Speaking of the figure of Baga, Mariani summarizes: “She is the Mother of mothers in all her splendor and beauty.”

The d'mba have been known in the West since the 17th century, with elements of their tradition historically preserved in France. Mariani's essay explores the history of the village, explaining how migration to Guinea underscored the importance of a female anchor.

Citing the Temne people, he translates, “the world was created by the spirit of woman, she is the origin of life” (Lamp, 1982, p.244-283).

“Thus wearing the mask was synonymous with bringing life,” she writes, “To the extent that when giving birth, according to Sayers (1927: 111) women said 'I po' sara a-ron,” which literally translates as to “I have worn the mask on my head.”

An accompanying dance for ceremonies evolved slowly, as few examples were made to protect the sanctity of the object.

Picasso owned a similar mask from the Baga region, purchased in 1920, which is said to have inspired his depictions of Marie-Therese.

Harrell's selection is one of four in its exact style, originally owned by a Swiss collector named Emil Storrer who acquired it in its original territory sometime in the 1950s. One of his acquisitions is currently in the Kreeger Museum in Washington, DC, and another in the Rietberg Museum in his hometown of Zurich.

While FEMME undeniably honors all things feminine, Harrell was sure to acknowledge the “often fluid nature of genre in terms of classical African sculpture,” citing a Nigerian scepter of Eshu, the benevolent Yoruba messenger of heaven and a trickster god. Harrell shared that the Eshu is traditionally presented as a man, which requires constant calm to continue to transmit sacrifices and divine the future. Although Eshu is almost always depicted as a man, Harrell selected a rare sculpture that featured the deity as a woman, full-breasted and carrying a child on her back.

Harrell quoted scholar Ayodele Ogundipe, noting that Eshu is genderless, embodying both male and female traits. “Eshu's indeterminacy lies at the heart of Yoruba hermeneutics, an approach to truth that leaves meaning open and unresolved,” Ogundipe writes. “Eshu's presence at the gates of consciousness is essentially strange.”

As both a pioneer and veteran in the niche African art space, Harrell has demonstrated consistency and experience as a dealer throughout his career. He coined the phrase “Triple A: Age, Authenticity, Aesthetics” when looking for new items and is careful to comply with contemporary export laws in African nations: visit, but not to acquire. He insists that all works under his jurisdiction must date from at least 1970.

Ultimately, Harrell is as passionate about intention as he is about art history, as evidenced by FEMME and other exceptional exhibitions he has hosted, such as Mastering Worlds; Exploring Space and Scale in Tribal and Asiatic Art, 2015, which combined classical African miniature sculpture with traditional Japanese bonsai, and Past is Prologue, an annual series launched in collaboration with Montague Contemporary, New York in 2022, in which classical African art is dialogue. with contemporary artists from the diaspora. He is very active in the Frick Collection through his partner, internationally recognized arbitration attorney and museum board member, Tai Heng-Cheng.

Harrell deftly summarized the history of the field, from its colonial beginnings with 19th-century collectors hungry for ethnographic exotica, to the infusion of Western respect that came with the radical shift in aesthetics in art European modern of the 20th century.

“Fortunately, today, African art is much more widely regarded as fine art, and a category of its own,” he clarified. “It is also worth noting that I am seeing more collectors and institutions in Africa and Asia concerned about African art than ever before. Whereas before the ritual use of an object was often the main focus, the public now is as concerned with the artist as they would be with Western art.”

With this show, Harrell invites viewers not only to celebrate the feminine in sight, but to look beyond the world around them for their reverence and, inevitably, themselves. It is essential viewing for those who need to find the feminine in their lives and appreciate the power of African aesthetics around the world.