The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Male Figure
late 1800s-early 1900s
Overall: 23.5 x 7.5 x 8 cm (9 1/4 x 2 15/16 x 3 1/8 in.); without base: 23.3 cm (9 3/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
This figure was the Delennes' first African art acquisition; it symbolized Rene and Odette’s first meeting.Description
This figure was the Delennes' first African art acquisition. They purchased the work in Paris in 1958—the year they were married—from the then leading French dealer Henri Kamer. The couple's interest in African art, which also inspired this particular acquisition, was triggered by their visit to the Congolese pavilion at the Brussels world's fair that same year. This experience made a lasting impression and triggered a lifelong appreciation for the art of what was then still the Belgian Congo. Although Odette later admitted that she knew that this figure was not the best example of Teke art, she and her husband held on to it because it served as a personal souvenir of their meeting each other.- ?-1958(Henri Kamer, Paris, FR, 1958, sold to René and Odette Delenne)1958-2010René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, BE, 2010, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2010The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2010
- Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 36. Reproduced: p. 36; mentioned: p. 112, cat. 3
- Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
- {{cite web|title=Male Figure|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s-early 1900s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.431