169 Jean-Édouard Charpentier 1938–2016 IN TRIBUTE The despicable attacks at Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire on March 13 of this year cost us the life of a very dear friend, a friend both of Africans and of African art. Jean-Édouard Charpentier first encountered African art in the bush at a ceremony he witnessed in 1959 while he was working as a forest management expert. From the moment of this first magical vision onward, his passion for the art and culture of Côte d’Ivoire never waned, and he assembled a collection of magnificent pieces. He had a special predilection for works from the region around the district capital of Man area in the western part of the country, where he had first been active professionally and where he had developed an indepth knowledge of the Dan and related groups. Due to the nature of his job, he also had thorough knowledge of the various woods, particularly of Okoume (Aucoumea species), which he could identify just by touch or by the sound they produced. He liked to tap objects with his fingers and then say “I know this wood,” a habit that earned him the affectionate nickname of “The Wood Man.” Any Dan mask, to name just one example, that he encountered was always subject to his analysis, and he would always examine it with a sense of humor. His collection reflected his taste. There were many Dan objects in it, to be sure, but it also included Bete works, magnificent Baule pulleys, and a sublime Senufo sculpture in a very rare style, which he had obtained with great difficulty and carefully preserved for almost forty-five years. Its acquisition had necessitated a risky trip in a Cessna to Upper Volta in 1972 with a friend from Abidjan. Jean-Édouard’s love for this piece was not unusual, as he only had pieces that he truly loved. He never considered their monetary value and saw only what they meant to him. He was a collector who was unmoved by fads and fashions. I met Jean-Édouard in the early 1980s, and the passion we shared gave rise to a fi rm and long-lasting friendship between us. When he would come to France for the auctions or for the Parcours des Mondes, he toured the galleries. He was always congenial and took great pleasure in sharing photographs of his collection and of his recent discoveries. His brutal departure has deprived those who were close to him, as well as his “family” of African art enthusiasts, of a precious friend who will be sorely missed. Pierre Amrouche
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