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Face Mask

A work made of wood, pigment, chalk, monkey(?) fur, leather, metal, and twine.

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  • A work made of wood, pigment, chalk, monkey(?) fur, leather, metal, and twine.

Date:

Late 19th or early 20th century

Artist:

Bete or Guro
Côte d’Ivoire
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Cross-cultural influences between the neighboring Bete and Guro peoples make it difficult to attribute masks such as this one by using only formal and stylistic criteria. A similar example once belonged to the avant-garde poet and artist Tristan Tzara, who, in the early 1900s, was among the first private collectors of African art in Paris. Scholars have suggested that both masks may have been carved by the same artist.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Bete

Title

Face Mask

Place

Côte d'Ivoire (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1875–1925

Medium

Wood, pigment, chalk, monkey(?) fur, leather, metal, and twine

Dimensions

H.: 35.6 cm (14 in.)

Credit Line

Buckingham Fund

Reference Number

1958.118

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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