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ART IN MOTION One would be hard pressed to fi nd anyone who attended the most recent BRUNEAF, now integrated into the larger Cultures event around the Sablon, who would disagree that the two outstanding exhibitions presented at the Ancienne Nonciature were among its highlights. For their all-too-brief duration from June 8–12, Bernard de Grunne’s Mandé, Trésors 46 Millénaires (Mande: Millennial Treasures) and Serge Schoffel’s Les Bois qui Murmurent (Whispering Woods) did more than their part to make the show a success. BERNARD DE GRUNNE - Mande Tribal Art Magazine: Thirty-six years after your show Terres Cuite Anciennes de l’Ouest Africain (Ancient West African Terracottas) at Louvain-la-Neuve, you have now explored a related subject: the ancient terracotta, wood, and bronze art of the Mande. What led you to this subject? Bernard de Grunne: Mande, trésors millénaires was largely born of my interest in questions relating to the age of African art. Fortuitous circumstance also played a part: I had recently reimmersed myself in the subject with Djenné-Jeno (Fonds Mercator, 2015), a reworked version of my doctoral thesis at Yale University in 1987. Finally, the Ancienne Nonciature happened to be available, and the BRUNEAF organizational committee was actively seeking proposals. T.A.M.: What criteria did you use for selecting the pieces? B.dG.: As you can probably imagine, this project had to ON THIS PAGE: Views of Mandé, trésors millénaires, presented on the main fl oor of the Ancienne Nonciature in Brussels from June 8–12. Bernard de Grunne, seen below, organized the exhibition. Reproduced by permission of Galerie Bernard de Grunne. FACING PAGE: Views of The Whispering Woods: Important Lobi Statuary, on the second fl oor of the Ancienne Nonciature. Organized by Serge Schoffel, this show presented a selection of Lobi works from the vast François and Marie Christiaens Collection. The couple stands with Schoffel in the photo at the center left of the page. Reproduced by permission of Galerie Serge Schoffel. History and Beauty at the Ancienne Nonciature in Brussels


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