The hairstyle and the scarifications on this female mask, named Gu after the spirit it embodied, reflect the beauty standards favored by the Guro. Elaborate hair arrangements express both social status and wealth, since a woman sporting one must rely on the help of fellow women for its creation. Though the mask is no longer performed, Gu once formed a trio with two male characters. The refinement of Gu’s facial features stood in stark contrast with her chaotic and turbulent performance.
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.
Constantine Petridis et al., Speaking of Objects: African Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2020), p. 79, fig. 1.
St. Paul, Minn., College of St. Catherine, African Art Exhibit, Feb. 14-Mar. 26, 1964.
Sheboygan, Wis., John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Apr. 2-June 5, 1969.
Woodlawn Branch Chicago Public Library, Children’s Project, Nov. 25-28, 1969.
Chicago, Ill., Illinois Bell Telephone Co., Substitute Faces, Oct. 2–Oct. 23, 1971, no cat.
Minneapolis, Minn., African American Cultural Arts Center, Masks of Africa, Feb. 11-Mar. 18, 1974.
Walter S. (died 1954) and Kate L. Brewster (died 1947), Chicago, Ill., by 1947; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1950.
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