Jean Pigozzi has been collecting African art for years, now he has gone one step further by creating the Pigozzi Prize for Contemporary African Art, writes Denise Rack Louw
`I believe that contemporary African art will be to the new millennium what Pop Art was to the 1960s,” says renowned collector Jean Pigozzi.
Pigozzi, an Italian citizen born in Paris, started collecting American art while at Harvard, but in 1989 this pursuit yielded to a passion for contemporary African art after he visited the exhibition Les Magiciens de la Terre at the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Fascinated by the strength, vitality and imagination reflected in the African artefacts he saw there, Pigozzi sought out Andr Magnin, co-curator of the exhibition, and together they set about assembling what is now the world’s most important collection of contemporary African art.
Some works from the collection were sold at Sotheby’s in London last week, and part of the proceeds will be used to create the Jean Pigozzi Prize for Contemporary African Art. The prize will allow awards – of $10 000 each – to be made to outstanding sub- Saharan African artists in the categories of painting, sculpture and photography.
Speaking of the African artists whose creations have become his “ultimate obsession”, Pigozzi says: “If they have power, imagination, energy and vision, they don’t have to go to art school or visit the Louvre … If they have the internal fire of creation, it will come out in their work.”
One of the artists in whom he clearly perceived this “internal fire of creation” is Johannesburg-based Tommy Motswai, whose lively study entitled My Sister’s Wedding in Cape Town delighted visitors to the South African Pavilion at the World Exposition in Lisbon last year. On offer at Sotheby’s was Motswai’s 1992 evocation of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival.
Executed in pastels on paper, the work shows happy festinos viewing, with amusement, one of the outlandish and satirical “artefacts” which mushroom up among the more serious works at the festival each year. Motswai’s characteristic sense of humour shines through in this work, as does his talent for evoking not only the essence of a place, but also the mood of the moment.
Ndebele artists Esther Mahlangu and Francina Ndimande were also represented in the London sale. Delighting the eye with passionate colours and richly complex geometrical designs, their works reflect not only their individual vision and creativity but also traditional influences.
Jean Michel Rousset points out in Contemporary Art of Africa that in the Ndebele tradition, pubescent girls are sequestered for three months during which time they “deepen their knowledge” of mural painting techniques and beadwork. “This artistic indoctrination,” he adds, “has allowed the Ndebele to maintain their cultural identity and … to confirm the social status of women in the society”
Cape Town artist Willie Bester is regarded overseas as “the quintessential artist of emancipation” (as described in Sue Williamson and Ashraf Jamal’s Art in South Africa: The Future Present). Bester’s Semekazi (Migrant Miseries) – executed in mixed media on canvas in 1993 – exemplifies the works which earned him that reputation. It sold in London for 11 500 – almost double its upper pre-sale estimate.
David Koloane’s Made in South Africa series reveals or comments on the effects of social and political unrest on his community.. Number 17 in the series – a charcoal and pencil drawing on paper – uses a rabid dog to symbolise unleashed terror. It sold at Sotheby’s for 575.
In sharp contrast to this piece, were the many bright, ebullient paintings on sale, including the Tanzanian Georges Lilanga Di Nyama’s acrylic work entitled Maintain Good Relations with Your Neighbours and They Will Help You When You Are In Trouble.
A wide spectrum of themes was evident in the sale – from the impact of colonialism to the threat of Aids, and from the joys of youth and community to the sorrows attendant on death and disaster. Materials used ranged from oils through pastels, industrial paint and wood to found objects, including a jerry can.
Elena Geuna, a Sotheby’s expert, said of the great diversity of works offered: “Africa displays a multitude of identities … There is a refreshingly honest and uninhibited sense of expression that runs throughout Mr Pigozzi’s collection, revealing these artists to possess an enormous freedom in terms of creation, imagination and personal consciousness.”
These qualities are inherent in the works of Zairean artist Bodys Isek Kingelez, who sees himself as “a prophet of African art”. He was represented in the sale by two mixed-media creations executed on paper and cardboard.
I saw one of these, Kimbembele Thunga, at the Serpentine Gallery in London as part of Africa ’95. This mixed-media model of an idealised, 21st century city reflects cosmopolitan architectural influences, but Kingelez’ roots are much in evidence. For instance, in the enshrining of his clan names and in the prominence afforded the “statue” of his late father.
Other sale highlights included drawings from Frdric Brouly Bouabr’s ongoing series, Connaissance du Monde (Knowledge of the World). In a 1995 interview with Yaya Savane in Abidjan, Bouabre stressed that, though black, he “belongs to” two cultures: African and European (Big City Artists from Africa catalogue).
Asked whether he identified with artists from other continents, he affirmed a fraternal solidarity with them. “For me,” he added, “their work means that the human race knows how to create.”
Sculpture in the Pigozzi Collection sale included pieces by John Goba (Sierra Leone) and Agbagli Kossi (Togo). And prominent among the photographers were Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keita from Mali.
A youthful Keita took up photography in 1945, using a 6 x 9cm camera that a relative had brought him from Senegal. A few years later he upgraded to 13 x 18cm negatives, and established himself as a portrait artist – using his bedspread as a backdrop.
His stunning black-and-white images remain lyrical evocations of elegance and refinement. One of them – untitled – realised 8 970 at the auction.
Pigozzi also became interested in photography at a young age, and is currently working on a book about his travels. Now resident in Geneva, his main business is in the field of venture capital for the digital/Internet world.
Over the past decade, he has made an enormous contribution to foregrounding the importance of contemporary African art. The Jean Pigozzi Prize will do more.