Magazines - Tribal Art Spring 2010

By Louis T. Wells

Introduction
When I first arrived in Monrovia in 1967, Rene Guyot, a resident Swiss jeweler, introduced me to African art. Many of the finest art objects from Liberia and Sierra Leone in today’s private and public collections came through the hands of such expatriates, who are the subject of this article. While this discussion is extensive, additional serious collectors in Liberia certainly remain to be identified and I apologize to any I have missed. I hope, however, that this article serves as a useful start in documenting the provenance of art from the region.
Monrovia then housed many foreigners, some quite mysterious. I was told not to ask older Europeans about their roles in World War II. Some foreigners were smuggling diamonds from Sierra Leone, and many Americans were working for Voice of America and CIA transmitting stations. Liberia also attracted shady “middlemen,” who bribed officials for mineral, timber, or other concessions to sell to solid investors. There were diplomatic and technical assistance communities, foreign bankers, and managers and technicians at the large, foreign-operated mines and plantations, as well as European and Arab small-scale entrepreneurs. Generously sprinkled across the interior were anthropologists, missionaries, and a large contingent of Peace Corps volunteers.
In the 1930s, indigenous Liberians would bring masks and other artifacts secretly at night to medical missionary Dr. George Harley. By 1967, African “Charlies” (traders) were offering their wares on the streets and on house calls. Objects from neighboring countries—especially Sierra Leone—were also coming to Monrovia because of its foreigners, use of the U.S. dollar, and lack of export controls. While most expatriates acquired only tourist items, several serious collectors emerged who would buy almost any good old object in order to encourage the Charlies to show them their stock first. They sold off what they did not want or could not keep, blurring the line between collector and dealer. Many of the collections that were formed in this context have now been dispersed.