Masques et Visages

Charles Alphonse Combes (1891-1968), born in Paris, moved to the Côte d’Ivoire in 1925 and never looked back. He began taking art students and in 1937 his studio became the École des Arts Appliques, the first art school in the country. It is now a museum in Abidjan, Musée Charles Alphonse Combes.

This eccentric Frenchman, a common sight around town in his fur cap, fur-lined leather vest, and necklace of leopards’ teeth, spent long periods deep in the forest learning the ways of the Yacouba (Dan) people. He came to understand their arts and ceremonies not as a folklorist or anthropologist would, but as an artist. He saw people tortured by metaphysical anxiety, reenacting ancient formulas and gestures now nearly devoid of meaning and wielded by sorcerers to inspire fear and acquire power. Through his sculpture, Combes tried to portray this disorienting conflict between tradition and modern life while honoring the distinctive African esthetic that shaped these mysterious rituals. This portfolio contains 17 plates of heads carved from ironwood, three times natural size.