The collection,
in his own words.

AFRICAN TRADITIONAL ART COLLECTION

       We have divided this collection into three parts: Royal art, Art of life and Ritual artEach object is accompanied by an explanation, more or less comprehensive according to its importance and available information. The handling is very simple, just follow the indications of the left margin list.

            We have already said that objects in a world in which the written word does not exist are a means of communication, whatever they may be. They are the way these peoples express themselves, the way they convey their messages, their feelings and their sensitivity. The significance of these objects goes beyond their material expression, they are the codification of the word. We would like this feeling to be borne in mind when looking at the photographs, thinking, moreover, that most of the African objects taken out of their context lose their true meaning.

           Masks, for example, should be seen in motion. The masks seen in museums or photographs are but a small part of the mask, the wooden mask. The mask is a whole, a set of dance, music, clothing, accompaniment of comparsas and spectators. Sometimes, the mask observed in a museum that seems the least interesting, seen in its atmosphere, in full dance or ceremony, can be the most spectacular, the one that transmits the greatest emotion, the one that awakens the greatest feelings of surprise, admiration or fear. The mask does not exist to reach the senses but the spirit. And most African objects in traditional Animist societies also have a spiritual or religious sense.

          Separated from its religious dimension, African art loses its quality. A statue, no matter how beautiful it may be, or so to us” is a “dead” statue when it has ceased to perform its function. Museums or masks hung as decoration in some homes cannot reflect what African “art” is. It cannot be dissociated from its cultural environment. Ritual effectiveness prevails over aesthetic feeling.

         Art in Africa cannot be understood without, at the same time, studying the traditions, social environment and beliefs of its peoples. The African object, taken from its natural environment, must at least be understood in its social, magical or religious family context, never as a simple decorative object. We hope that the explanations that have been provided throughout the different parts of this website will help to situate, although very imperfectly, the different works exhibited in their context.

Jesús Arrimadas Saavedra