Serendipitous. While walking with Sunshine at the Marina Airport Business Park, I saw this sculpture in my periphery. I must have circled around it half a dozen times, asking myself why is this here? Who owns this piece? Are they willing to part with this sculpture?
Fortunately, I was able to acquire this amazing work of art from the proprietor of ATOE. The 54” Height, early 20th Century, wood carving is made by the Baga people in Guinea, West Africa.
A ceremonial Fertility Mother Shoulder Mask, D’mba Headdress Sculpture.
After purchasing this piece, I did some research. I discovered Peggy Guggenheim had a reverence for primitive art. As oppose to other collectors and artists, of the time, who collected pieces of indigenous cultures as accessories or muses for their design inspiration, she placed such objects front-and-center or thoughtfully displayed these pieces juxtaposed alongside an abstract Picasso.
I was awestruck when I first saw this sculpture, even prior to the research. Funny, I actually thought it might have been a sculpture inspired by some of Alexander Calder’s work, but I ask myself now… was it the other way around?
The true goosebumps came while finding a fascinating article, written by By Dr. Christa Clarke, for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, click < Here >.
