FEATURE 108 Kjersmeier acquired his fi rst African object from a secondhand dealer in Copenhagen in 1918.7 The fi rst third of the twentieth century provided particularly good opportunities for the acquisition of objects from West and Central Africa. Carl was the half of the couple who most often was asked about and commented on their African collection, but in a rare interview with Amalie, she recounted some of her experiences.8 While walking down a street in central Copenhagen, she saw some children playing with what at fi rst appeared to be dolls but turned out to be two fi ne wooden Kuba cups carved as heads. Upon contacting the children’s parents, she was told that the cups had come to the family from a distant relative, who had been a sailor. Amalie acquired both cups. Elsewhere in Copenhagen, she visited an old property and in the attic found a box of Kasai textiles, which had been there for so long that soot and dirt completely concealed their identity. As she described them, “They were dirty as dung.” Her keen attention in situations like these resulted in the addition of objects to the collection and was especially applied to developing a subcollection of Kasai textiles, which was her particular interest (fi g. 5). The majority of the objects in the Kjersmeier Collection were acquired on trips to France, Belgium, Germany, and England, where they were obtained from auctions, dealers, privately, or by exchange. Newly acquired objects to the collection were each the subject of thorough and systematic study of type, artistic quality, and cultural context. The majority of objects that formed the core of the collection were acquired in the 1920s and ’30s. The Kjersmeiers also formed a signifi cant private library that was continuously updated with international publications on African art and art journals, a testament to the seriousness of their approach. In a 1929 interview with a local newspaper, Vejle Amts Avis, Kjersmeier talks about his collection and his enthusiasm for African art, referring to its power, its originality, and especially its imaginative expression.9 His admiration for the material is apparent, and his comments also provide a sense of the inner poet. While he considered the African objects to be works of art, he also clearly recognized and commented upon the importance of their cultural signifi cance FIG. 5 (left): View of the Kjersmeier home showing part of the collection, including Kasai textiles. The cabinet at left contains their collection of Ashanti goldweights. Photo © Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen. FIG. 6 (below): View of the Kjersmeier home with Carl Kjersmeier’s desk. The fi rst sogoni koun that the couple acquired is at the right. Photo © Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen. FIG. 7 (right): Photo by Man Ray taken during his visit to the home of Carl and Amalie Kjersmeier in 1933. Silver gelatin print, 12 x 9 cm. Centre Pompidou, Paris, inv. AM 1994-394 (530). The dance crest that appears in it is reproduced here as fi gure 30.
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