IN TRIBUTE
131
In 2010, Joe’s wife of 55 years passed away, leaving him
bereft but philosophical.ay “The point is,” he would say,
“we got along ok, and that’s all that really matters.” He
spent his remaining years organizing ancient pestles and
fl ints, sorting his beloved miniature bronzes, and creating albums
of Margaret’s drawings and prints from the 1950s. His
frequent visitors included African, European, and American
dealers and collectors, professors of art history and museum
A THOUGHT EXPRESSED BY AGNES MARTIN, as sensitive
and discreet an artist as ever there was, couldn’t fi t better
than it does when we think of you, Alain. She said: “Beauty is
the mystery of life. It is not just in the eye, it is in the mind. In
our minds, there is an awareness of perfection.”
We speak in the present because for each of us you are still
with us, dear Alain. You are in our hearts as few others are,
and there you shall remain. Who else do we know that is liked
and respected by all, and of such faultless character? Your
sensitivity, your knowledge, your generosity, and your probity
made you a very unusual person.
Where tribal art is concerned, you knew not only the arts
of Central Africa as few do, but South African art as well,
and you never hesitated to share your knowledge with your
colleagues. You were one of the fi rst Belgian dealers to travel
extensively through the southernmost part of the continent,
and you brought us superb examples of Zulu pottery, both
ceremonial and utilitarian objects, and beaded ornaments
produced by a variety of peoples. You, moreover, took great
care to make note of the date and place of collection for each
piece, as well as of the names of the potters that had produced
the vessels you acquired whenever those you dealt with were
able to provide them. You went back to South Africa several
times, usually accompanied by an apprentice colleague. You
knew the place well and you loved it and its peoples.
The many “important” objects you obtained that are now
in famous collections didn’t prevent you from appreciating a
Rwandan house panel, a Fang torque, or any beautiful utilitarian
object. On the contrary, you were like many of us, a
devotee of small, fragile, and refi ned objects, such as those of
Annie Jernander-De Vriese, whom you appreciated so much.
You considered her your guide from the very fi rst in your explorations
of this marvelous universe. The treasures you were
able to assemble refl ected your background in art and your
patience as an amateur archaeologist. Your library and the
documentation that nourished you made you dream of many
distant horizons.
One of the many things you did as an inspired and intellectual
organizer was to prepare the beautiful exhibition on
Mangbetu art at the Kredietbank in 1992 with Professor Herman
Burssens. We thank you for that. In 1992, at the Robert
& Partners Gallery in Ostende, you exhibited the works of
Ndebele artists Franzina Ndimande and her daughter, Angelina,
both of whom were present at its opening. You gave us
your moral support for the organization of the exhibition on
the Lega that was held at the KBC Bank Gallery in 2002. The
decorative and prestige arts of Rwanda were the subject of an
article honoring them that you co-authored and that appeared
in a 2004 issue of Tribal Art magazine. You loved to read, to
write, and to share. We regret that more time was not given
to us to collaborate.
Dear Alain, we had the privilege of knowing and appreciating
you for decades. You were conscientious, poetic, and kind.
Thank you for bringing us so much joy.
Colette Ghysels and Bart Suys
Alain Guisson 1951–2019
curators, as well as old friends and former employees. He
was fond of saying that his collection was his greatest accomplishment
and that it kept him alive. When Joe drew his
last breath on March 13, 2019, at his bedside were an eighteenth
century Ethiopian diptych, a Djenne terracotta head,
and a curious Saharan stone, formed by nature, weathered
by history, idiosyncratic and fabulous.
Amyas Naegele
Alain Guisson on
the Sablon in Brussels.
Photo courtesy of
Alan Marcuson.