152 Art in the Many Africas Edited by Herbert M. Cole Published in English by the Mint Museum, 2014 9 x 7 inches, 64 pages, 52 color illustrations ISBN 978-0-9831942-6-2 Softcover, $18.95. Limited edition available from the museum This brief but interesting book is a fi ne example of what can happen when a small museum works with its community resources to support its initiatives. Opened in 1936, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, undertook a comprehensive examination of collection in 2010 under its new director, Kathleen Jameson. The museum’s African art collection was identifi ed as a good foundation for a broader display. Local art collector Michael Gallis and scholar Herert “Skip” Cole became involved, and loans were secured from Gallis and other collectors to augment the existing material. The result was an African art installation of nearly 100 objects that opened in 2013. Spanning the cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, the high quality of the material may be a pleasant surprise for informed visitors to the galleries. The book was produced by Gallis’ company, which worked alongside the museum to produce it. Edited by Cole, it features essays by Akinwumi Ogundiran, Cécile Fromont, Till Förster, and Gallis that look at the history of human culture in Africa, address the diversity of African artistic expression, and explore general themes and specifi c objects relevant to the museum’s installation. BOOKS Gottfried Lindauer: The Maori Portraits Edited by Udo Kittelmann and Britta Schmitz Bilingual publication in German and English by the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki, and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2014 22.5 x 29.7 cm, 274 pages, color illustrations ISBN: 978-86335-630-9 Softcover, 36.75 euros This book was published and appeared in conjunction with the eponymous exhibition that opened in November of 2014 at Berlin’s Nationalgalerie and was produced in cooperation with the Toi O Tamaki Auckland Art Gallery. It presents the pictorial work of Gottfried Lindauer, which consists principally of portraits of the indigenous Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Lindauer was born in Pilsen in 1839 in what is now the Czech Republic and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he specialized in portrait painting. As the increasing popularity of photography and the upcoming Austro-Hungarian confl ict both threatened his livelihood, Lindauer left Europe at the age of thirty-fi ve. He arrived in Wellington in 1874 and settled in Auckland, where he met Henry Partridge, a businessman who wished to document the Maori society of his time. Many of the portraits Lindauer produced for him are of chiefs and warriors in Maori attire with their rank insignia, such as moko tattoos and nephrite ornaments. His thoughtful depictions record a crucial time in the history of the Maori people when they were under the yoke of British colonialism. The subject is fascinating, and the publication is beautifully produced, featuring concise and enlightening texts. Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire By François Neyt Published in French by Fonds Mercator, 2014 24.5 x 29.7 cm, 376 pages, 248 illustrated works and 24 color documents ISBN: 978-9-46230-056-9 Hardcover, 99.95 euros The release of a new publication by François Neyt always heralds an enlightening and agreeable reading experience, thanks to his combination of scholarship and fi ne writing style. Neyt, professor emeritus at the Université Catholique de Louvain and emeritus member of Belgium’s Académie Royale des Sciences d’Outre-Mer, has long distinguished himself through his research on the arts of Central Africa and Nigeria, with particular emphasis placed on those of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, Neyt focuses on artistic traditions that are less familiar to him, allowing him to take a fresh approach. The result is a presentation of the area’s main cultures arranged by geographic region, from the west to the north, then from the center to the east, and ending in the lagoon regions of the south. The author examines the histories of the various peoples of these regions, as well as their migrations and interactions. As might be expected, emphasis is placed on the aesthetics revealed in their artistic creations, shedding light on the factors that unify these extremely diverse groups. Neyt’s synthesis is based on extensive documentation, including maps, in situ photographs, and archival images, as well as on an iconographic survey that includes nearly 250 illustrated objects, many shown full page. The works were selected primarily from private collections for their sculptural qualities, with the clear intent of showcasing the vibrancy, beauty, and mystery of the region’s arts.
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