- Special Exhibition
Male Figure (detail), early 1800s–early 1900s. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people. Wood, hide, fabric, brass, copper, iron, glass beads, teeth, horn; h. 64 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2010.451
Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture
The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Gallery
Featured Art
About The Exhibition
The exhibition Fragments of the Invisible marks the American debut of the Delenne collection of Congo sculpture, 34 works of different attributions that the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired in 2010. The exhibition addresses the fragmentary nature of African works of art in Western collections and explores how in their original setting many of them connected with the invisible world of deities or spirits. Fragments of the Invisible also discusses the history of the Delenne collection against the background of collecting African art in Belgium and reflects on issues of provenance, cultural heritage, and patrimony.
Support for the exhibition has been provided in part by Friends of African and African American Art and Dr. Sharon E. Milligan. The Cleveland Museum of Art is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this exhibition with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.