Sibondel mask, winged horse al bur'âq - Between 1950 and 1960. Baga style, Guinea. Wood, chemical pigments. © Quai Branly Museum - Jacques Chirac

From rock art from the Sahara to Chinese porcelain from Madagascar, from photographs by Kader Attia (winner of the 2016 Marcel Duchamp Prize) to contemporary mixed works by Nigerian Yinka Shonibare, it is the portrait of a continent at the heart of history global which is here drawn up.

Knowledge of African art has enriched the imagination and vocabulary of modern Western artists. Conversely, images, objects and artistic teachings left for Africa. New techniques were transmitted, such as painting on canvas, lithography or photography. In the era of globalization, in Africa or elsewhere, artists belong to the same nation, expressing themselves in a similar language but where everyone can assert their singularity. Modern and contemporary works, by African and European artists, invite us here to feel forms and confluent intentions.

This work multiplies the references and interactions between Africa and Europe, in particular Senegal and France. In 1816, the French frigate La Méduse went to the island of Çorée, a former slave trade port. The boat ran aground not far from Saint-Louis du-Sénégal, a town already colonized by the French. The few survivors had resorted to anthropophagy. The story and European products of commercial conquest such as wax combine the tormented crossing of these roads.

Shonibare was named a member of the “Most Excellent Order of the Worst British Em” (MBE) in 2005. While other African-British artists refused this decoration, Shonibare officially added the acronym to his artist name.

Pratical information

Quai Branly Museum - Jacques Chirac

Location: West mezzanine

Dates:  From Tuesday January 31, 2017 to Sunday November 12, 2017

Public:   All public

To know more : http://quaibranly.fr