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Media only: Kimberly Mayfield (202) 357-4600 ext. 291 MEDIA PREVIEW: Tuesday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Remarks at 11 a.m. followed by lunch and a tour of the exhibition conducted by Bryna Freyer. R.S.V.P. to (202) 357-4600 ext. 291. LAWRENCE GUSSMAN'S "PERSONAL JOURNEY" ON VIEW AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART Seventy-five works of art that date from the 19th to early 20th century and represent more than 30 cultures in central Africa will be on display in a new exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. A Personal Journey: Central African Art from the Lawrence Gussman Collection will be on view June 9 through Aug. 18 in the museum's changing gallery located on level 2. It will include extraordinary musical instruments, masks, figures, ceremonial and everyday objects. Lawrence Gussman, a New York businessman traveling in South Africa in 1956, was invited to visit the hospital that Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Prize-winning medical missionary, had established in Lambaréné, Gabon. That experience resulted in Gussman's return to Gabon every summer for the next 30 years and was the catalyst by which Gussman started collecting art. He first collected from throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but then refocused on the region of central Africa made up of the countries Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Zambia. Gussman realized that the impact of his experiences in central Africa made him aware of new ways of seeing. Over many decades he developed an extraordinary collection of African art, one notable for its strong regional focus and for the way it represents the breadth and diversity of African artistic creativity. "Gussman's collection provides an array of beautiful objects and a wealth of information about the peoples and cultures of central Africa. These objects were collected simply for their beauty and the artistic features that reminded him of those people he had grown to respect" said exhibition curator Bryna Freyer. The exhibition is divided thematically into subject categories: Reliquary Guardian Figures, Masks, Status and Power, Divination and Spiritual Power, and Figurative Sculpture. A Personal Journey presents a rare opportunity for visitors to examine the similarities and differences of objects that have the same function but have been created by different peoples. Highlights include a Kongo bell given in memory Schweitzer. Bells are associated with hunting as they are used to locate the Kongo hunting dogs that cannot bark. A nganga (diviner or healer) would probably use an elaborately carved bell to hunt those who do harm to others. An exceptionally rare Fang harp is part of the collection. It was usually played at Bwiti rituals and served as the primary communication link between the living and the dead. The Bwiti is an elite, male, spiritual association of the Fang peoples that combines ancestor worship and elements of Christianity. Finely crafted axes and adzes, another highlight, were among the regalia that high-ranking Luba owned to indicate status. On these examples, the sculpted female heads that decorate the shaft allude to the importance of women's roles in safeguarding the secrets of kingship. The 75 works of art are demonstrative of Gussman's nature and all-encompassing generosity as a lender and donor. These gifts are being brought together for one last tour by the three museums that have received Gussman's collection. The exhibition is coordinated by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York, and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel; and supported, in part, from a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A series of free public programs complementing the exhibition include public discussions on June 9 and 13, and Aug. 11; and folktales on Aug. 3 and Sept. 7. For details, call (202) 357-4600, or visit the website at www.si.edu/nmafa. The exhibition catalog, A Personal Journey: Central African Art from the Lawrence Gussman Collection is available in the museum store. The National Museum of African Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Thursdays, through Aug. 29, the museum will be open until 8 p.m. as part of Art Night on the Mall. Telephone: (202) 357-2700 or (202) 357-1729 (TTY). NOTE TO EDITORS: Black-and-white photos and color slides are available by calling (202) 357-4600 ext. 291. |
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Reliquary Guardian Figures | Masks of Gabon and the Congo | Status and Power | Divination and Spiritual Power | Figurative Sculpture | Beneath the Surface |
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