TRIBAL PEOPLE
118
FIG. 9 (left): Zoomorphic
headcrest.
Boki; Cross River Region,
Nigeria.
Wood, cane, animal hide, fur, horns,
metal tacks. H: 48.3 cm.
Diana and J. Thomas Lewis Collection.
FIG. 10 (right): Interior of
Diana and Tom Lewis’ home,
New Orleans.
FIG. 11 (right):
Bovine headcrest.
Mama; Cross River Region,
Nigeria.
Wood, natural pigment. L: 53.3 cm.
Diana and J. Thomas Lewis Collection.
FIG. 12 (left):
Equestrian fi gure.
Senufo; Mali.
Copper alloy. L: 14 cm.
Diana and J. Thomas Lewis Collection.
Art, Smithsonian Institution, which thinned
but did not conquer my ignorance.
So, like most art collectors, it is the strong
interest, not the local sticks and stones, that
has fi lled our house with more objects than
reason permits.
C. D.: In your early years you were a Navy
brat and then later a Princeton geek. I
recall that you once said that your class at
Princeton cranked out several art historians
and museum directors. Could you elaborate
on your transformation and just what was in
that drinking water at Princeton that led you
to serious art appreciation?
T. L.: I was not transformed, just ignorant.
When exposed to excellent teaching, bright
fellow students, and the museums in New
York, I brightened up a bit and it stuck.
C. D.: I have worked with many African art
collectors over the years, but few if any have
pulled together the focus and intellectualism
that is manifest in your collection. Could you
have possibly done so without your cloistered
study full of art books, classical music, and
the wee drams of single malt scotch?
T. L.: The scotch and music came fi rst
(absolute necessities) and then the books,
which by and large grew in numbers as though
they were things of nature—all needed, along
with a tolerant family.
C. D.: It is indeed unusual to see African art
juxtaposed with Italian Renaissance paintings.
Is this a binary choice, a yin to your yang?
T. L.: I do not have the intellectual discipline
to be a real collector, so the house is full of
stuff, e.g., antique furniture, fancy rugs, good
and bad modern art, classical Italian paintings
and marbles, and so forth—all acquired by
whim or chance. Guests get confused.
C. D.: It has not gone unnoticed that you and
your entire family have unusual powers of
humor, irony, and keen observation. When
I look at some of your objects such as
the Boki zoomorphic headcrest or the
Asante gold sword ornament, I see