ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Hugo Pratt, portrait of
Corto Maltese, 1983, and a panel from
La ballade de la mer salée, 1967.
© Cong SA, Switzerland. All rights reserved.
The Headdress Collection
of Hugo Pratt and Antoine
de Galbert
LYON—Like his protagonist, Corto Maltese,
Italian cartoonist Hugo Pratt was an avid and
enthusiastic traveler. His drawings are replete
with references to his trips. Hugo Pratt, lignes
d’horizon, on view at the Musée des Confluences
68
from April 7, 2018, until March 24,
2019, explores the places that were dear to
him, from the “Great Ocean” to the “Great North”
by way of “Amazonia,” the “People of the Sun,”
“Africa,” and the “Indians.” The first part of the exhibition
features his original drawings, shown in conjunction
with the cultural artifacts that enriched his visual universe.
The latter are drawn from the museum's collection,
augmented by loans from other institutions.
The second part is an immersive experience into the artist’s
imagination using graphics and sound. Recurring themes in
his work, such as trance states and music, shamanism and
divination, and signs and symbols, are explored.
Another interesting part of this exhibition features two
headdresses, one from the Great Plains of the United
States and another from Ethiopia, given to the Musée
des Confluences by collector Antoine de Galbert. His donation
included more than 500 pieces of this kind, complemented
by a few full costumes. After being inventoried,
studied, and, in some cases, restored, the collection
will be the subject of an exhibition in 2019. The objects
come from all over the world, and de Galbert collected
them over a twenty-five-year period. They include
Yoruba and Baule royal crowns, kirdi hats, Shinto priest’s
headdresses, and Eastern Siberian bonnets, among many
other kinds of headwear. They were used ritually as well
as for social or simple utilitarian purposes, and the pieces
in the collection display a fascinating diversity of forms,
colors, and materials.
ABOVE: Headdress. Great Plains,
United States. Late 19th century.
Antoine de Galbert Collection.
© Olivier Garcin – Musée des Confl uences, Lyon.
LEFT: Mask, kavat.
Papua New Guinea.
© Pierre-Olivier Deschamps/Agence
VU’ – Musée des Confl uences, Lyon.
RIGHT: Shrunken head,
tsantsa. Peru/Equador
border region.
19th century.
© Olivier Garcin – Musée des
Confl uences, Lyon.