Magazines - Tribal Art Summer 2010

Interview by Bérénice Geoffroy-Schneiter, european editor of Tribal Art magazine.

Introduction
Eagerly awaited by scholars, the exhibition devoted to the masks and statues of Central Africa, held in the Musée du Quai Branly, springs from François Neyt’s lengthy research in the field. In his recent essay, “The Congo River: Correspondences and Mutations of Shapes,” the distinguished art historian from Belgium underlined the many cultural and artistic affinities shared by the different Bantu-speaking populations. The vast geographic expanse that these peoples occupy, which encompasses six countries (the south of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and part of Angola) and covers one-third of the African continent, has given birth to unique forms of thought and expression. It is reasonable to assume that the fecund power of the environment (the forest and its impenetrable mysteries), coupled with the encounter with Pygmy culture (a long underestimated influence), contributed to the emergence of the artistic expressions that proved so seductive for collectors and European artists at the dawn of the twentieth century. Matisse showcased a Kwele mask in one of his most famous portraits.
Combining ethnographic surveys and detailed stylistic analyses, Neyt draws on three object forms to subtly redefine the boundaries of this cultural vernacular: “heart-shaped faces,” including masks and statues; reliquaries and ancestor figures, which will feature a Tsogho temple from Gabon; and, finally, female representations specific to the savannah kingdoms.
With about 170 works, borrowed in part from private collections and major museums, this specialized exhibition should appeal to newcomers, given the minimalist and sober perfection that emanates from such masterpieces as Fang reliquaries and Punu masks.
A few days before the unveiling of his exhibition, Neyt shared with us some thoughts about his lifework and the cultures he has so expertly explored.

TA: How did your first encounter with Africa come about?
FN: In the simplest way imaginable. I was born in Jadotville, in what was then known as the Belgian Congo. My father worked for a branch of l’Union Minière and, in a way, he was part of the colonial system. I spent all of my childhood in Africa before moving to Belgium to complete my Classics and art history studies. Afterward, I earned a Ph.D. on Gazan monasticism in Christian sources and became a professor of rhetoric for the Benedictines. I returned to Africa and taught African art from 1968 to 1972, first at l’Université officielle du Congo and then at the National University of Zaire.