PARIS.- Combining almost 330 historical and contemporary works, the exhibition presents the greatest sculptors and schools of sculpture in Ivory Coast and its neighbouring countries.

African sculpture has a central place in the history of art. Too often considered in the West as an artisanal production only involved in ritual activities, African art – just like Western art – is produced by individual artists whose works display great artistic and personal skill.

The exhibition places the sculptures in the religious and stylistic context of the 19th and early 20th century Workshops, particularly amongst the Senufo, Lobi, Dan and Baoulé, by considering them from the perspective of their aesthetic power and the individuality of their creators.

It also presents installations and works by contemporary artists: the new generation of "transnational" African artists, the heirs of the great artists of the past, who demonstrate the creative continuity of the sculptors of the West of Africa in the post-colonial period.

These exceptional pieces are put in perspective, initially in a retrospective manner - through the presentation of artists' workshops dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, divided by ethnic group - then in a prospective - with a set of contemporary works and installations from these regions produced by artists from the second half of the 20th century.

As an introduction to the discovery of the styles and masters' workshops in a traditional context, geographical, religious and social markers are provided in order to understand the context in which West African sculpture has been created and in order to create awareness in the visitor of the most widespread objects in these regions.

While the political frontiers of the States are not important, the majority of the ethnic groups are part of the population of Ivory Coast or its neighbouring countries: Liberia, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

THE GALLERY OF SCULPTORS
It initially highlights the work of the Dan artists, with a focus on seven master sculptors from the villages of Belewale and Nyor Diaple – then continues with the art of the Senufo, Lobi, Guro, We, Yaure, Baoulé and the peoples of the lagoon.

Each sculptor is presented on the basis of their biography and their masterpieces, often giving rise to the following questions: what is it that distinguishes their work? What were the relationships between the artists? What traditions predominated during their training?

The major typologies of West African sculptural objects are presented, together with the different vectors for the transmission of forms: the popularity and means of dissemination of a style and the distinction between original works and copies.

The works are here approached from the perspective of their aesthetic power and the individuality of the artist rather than from the perspective of their typology or functionality.

This individuality can be confirmed either by personal interpretation of the stylistic standards of the ethnic group or group to which the artist belongs, either by means of their geographical dissemination, or through a progression towards modernity, the artist thus using their art to become liberated from tradition.

An additional space is dedicated to the artists' techniques: pottery, brass casting, sculpture on wood, gold and silverwork and the creation of jewellery in ivory, veneer and gold leaf, and weaving. This space contains ethnographic objects, films presenting the techniques and a set of texts that initiate the visitor into the beauty and formal contexts of the regional aesthetics.

CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
The last section of the exhibition presents works and installations by still active contemporary artists working from the second half of the 20th century to the present day, and whose work is intended for a regional and international clientele.
The artists are Nicholas Damas, Emile Guebehi, Jems Robert Koko Bi and Koffi Kouadou.

These artists represent a new generation of "transnational" African artists, highlighting the continuity of creation of West African sculptors in the post-colonial period.