Gerald and Dorit Paul Galleries, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Free
A couple of month's back I posted some images of this beautifully presented show. All were of one of the two galleries. The photos below mainly show the second gallery, including a selection of the IMA’s important collection of Moroccan textiles.
Click on the photos to enlarge. All photos copyright Indianapolis Museum of Art.
For serious lovers of African textiles the most exciting exhibit of the current show Majestic African Textiles at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (see earlier post here for details) will be the chance to view this extremely rare robe. At the time of his important survey catalogue Le Boubou C’est Chic (Editions Christoph Merian/Museum der Kulturen, Basel 2000) Bernhard Gardi noted that only 23 robes in this style were known in collections worldwide. Gardi observes that very little is known about the production and use of this style of robe, which he calls “boubous Manding.” He suggests they were made somewhere in the interior of Liberia and/or Sierra Leone where people of Mande origin descended from migrants from Mali were in the majority.
This superb example in Indianapolis can now be added to the small corpus. It’s accession details are: “Mende people; Sierra Leone, Liberia. royal robe, early 1900s, cotton, wool. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg. 1989.808” I would suggest it is in fact more likely to be made in the nineteenth century.
All photos are copyright Indianapolis Museum of Art, with thanks to Niloo Paydar. Click on the photos to enlarge.
Chief Kai Lunda of Luawa Country, Upper Mendi, circa 1893. He was chief of an area on the border between Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Vintage postcard, authors collection.
Gerald and Dorit Paul Galleries, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Free
“The new exhibition Majestic African Textiles presents a spectacular array of royal and prestige cloths, masking and ritual garments, and superbly beaded and embellished objects. Featuring more than 60 pieces drawn from the IMA’s permanent collection and augmented with a few major loans, the show highlights a significant and diverse group of richly patterned and elaborately decorated textiles from North and sub-Saharan Africa.
Organized geographically and representing various African ethnic groups, Majestic African Textiles is the first exhibition at the IMA to gather together a large number of these prized pieces to showcase their splendor and significance.”
Photos © Indianapolis Museum of Art. Click to enlarge
“Majestic African Textiles features more than 60 pieces showcasing the woven arts from the diverse cultures of Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, among other regions .
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 6, 2013— The Indianapolis Museum of Art today announced it will present Majestic African Textiles, an exhibition featuring a spectacular array of prestige garments,
performance and ritual cloths and superbly beaded and embellished objects. The works are drawn from the IMA’s extensive collection of textiles—one of the most distinguished in the country. The exhibition will be on view from May 3, 2013, to March, 2, 2014.
“The IMA has been collecting African textiles since 1918. Majestic African Textiles will highlight a significant and diverse group of richly patterned and elaborately decorated north and subSaharan African textiles,” said Niloo Paydar, curator of textile and fashion arts. “These textiles are considered significant symbols of status, power and wealth.” “The IMA’s long history of collecting African works of art has resulted in one of the finest and most
comprehensive collections in the United States,” said Dr. Charles L. Venable, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the IMA. “We are excited to present these stunning textiles that will
illuminate the many cultures of Africa through the weavers’ art.”
Featuring more than 60 pieces, Majestic African Textiles will celebrate the prestige and significance of these prized cloths in their respective cultures. This exhibition offers a superb
presentation of the woven arts of the diverse African textile producing cultures of Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Ivory
Coast, Ethiopia and South Africa. Representing many African ethnic groups and organized geographically, the exhibition will
include the following highlights:
• An elaborately tailored and embroidered Nigerian man’s drawstring trousers with wide waist
bands that serve as a prestige garment among the Hausa, Nupe and other northern Nigerian
men.
• An exquisitely beaded royal Nigerian ceremonial tunic made of panels of imported velvet and wool. The beaded patterns are executed in a variety of designs including medals, crowns, faux epaulettes, flowers and faces of Yoruba royal ancestors.
• Several examples of the colorful strip-woven cloths of the Asante and Ewe peoples of Ghana, popularly known as kente.
• A recently acquired, rare warrior’s tunic from Ghana laden with a number of amulets that contained protective powers. Hunters, warriors and soldiers who often had dangerous professions wore garments that were either painted with protective verses or adorned with objects that were believed to have magical powers.
Organized by the IMA, Majestic African Textiles will be on view in the museum’s Gerald and Dorit Paul Galleries. “
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