This catalogue is part of Dalton Somaré Gallery’s research on classical African sculpture and is dedicated to the African art collections of Anna Demina and Leinuo Zhang.
Year: 2019
Texts: Dalton Somaré
Format: 23 × 28.5 cm
Pages: 88, 37 colour images
Language: English
Produced by: A. Demina and L. Zhang
Curated by: Dalton Somaré
African art and modern art: the origins of a revolution
African art in Italy and African sculpture lie at the origin of modern art and represent one of the most profound aesthetic revolutions of the 20th century.
Initially regarded as exotic curiosities, African sculptures began to be recognised in the early 20th century as works of extraordinary aesthetic and conceptual significance.
Artists of the Parisian avant-garde, including Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Constantin Brancusi and Fernand Léger, were among the first to understand their revolutionary potential.
A new vision of African sculpture
In these works, modern artists did not perceive simplicity or naivety, but an extreme intellectual synthesis. They recognised a radical departure from traditional representation and an unprecedented freedom in the use of materials and forms.
African sculpture revealed an artistic approach in which concept and invention prevail over technical skill, affirming the primacy of creative vision.
From discovery to international recognition
Thanks to this new awareness, African art has gradually been acknowledged as one of the major artistic traditions of the world.
Today, African sculpture occupies a central place in major museums and international collections, confirming its role in shaping modern and contemporary visual culture.
This perspective is at the core of the work of Dalton Somaré Gallery in Milan, dedicated to the study and promotion of African and Indo-Buddhist art.
