The Language of Beauty in African Art curated by Constantine Petridis

Abstract

The first major exhibition of African art at the Kimbell in twenty­five years, The Language of Beauty in African Art encouraged visitors to consider how African language is used to describe concepts of beauty in African art.1 More than 200 works, representing fifty­six sub­Saharan countries, were gathered from over sixty collections around the world. Seven years in the making, the exhibition was organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and curated by Constantine Petridis in collaboration with Jennifer Casler Price, the Kimbell’s curator of Asian, African, and Ancient American Art. Price commented that the exhibition focused on “looking at African art through the aesthetics of the indigenous people” rather than through a lens rooted in Western art history.2 The exhibition occupied eight galleries in the Renzo Piano Pavilion and focused on spe­ cific cultural themes and artistic conventions. Gracing the entrance were larger­than­life photographs of Igbo Maiden Spirit maskers (photographed in 1935 by G.I. Jones near Awka, Nigeria), setting the stage for exploring concepts of ugliness and beauty in African art. An Acoustiguide mobile app featured Director Erik M. Lee introducing the exhibition, with commentary by Yaëlle Biro on the history of Western appreciation of African art. For all its successes, The Language of Beauty in African Art at the Kimbell highlighted the challenges museums face when displaying African art in the formal museum environ­ ment. Renzo Piano’s architectural color scheme of gray concrete walls, oak floor, and diffused natural light made for a warm gallery atmo­ sphere, with casework and label copy echoing Piano’s color palette. While didactics promoted indigenous perspectives, the display environ­ ment maintained its postmodern aesthetic. The first section, “Whose Beauty?” consid­ ered how African art has been displayed and interpreted in and outside of Africa. A male figure identified as the Chokwe royal ances­ tor, Chibinda Ilunga, introduced visitors to the duality of meanings in African language, while recognizing the sculpture’s utotombo, or craftsmanship, as well as its cibema, or beauty and goodness (Fig. 1). Another display of Kota reliquary figures exemplified the Western fascination with figural abstraction and aes­ thetics of African art rather than its indigenous functions. The “How Objects Speak” section included prestige works, decorative cups, headrests, and stools. From this gallery, visitors had an open view into the next section, which explored the “Moral Meanings of Beauty.” An impressive Baga shoulder mask (d’mba) commanded the space as a monumental symbol of the beautiful, maternal power of women along with personal adornments inscribing status and moral distinction (Fig. 2). A collection of helmet masks (sowei) evidenced the high­ est “Standards of Beauty” for women; their