Null RUBIN WILLIAM.

Primitivism in the Art of the 20th Century - Modern artists…
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RUBIN WILLIAM. Primitivism in the Art of the 20th Century - Modern artists in front of tribal art. The French Edition was realized under the direction of Jean-Louis Paudrat, Gallimard 1987, in-folio, black cloth binding (states) and without dust jacket.

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RUBIN WILLIAM. Primitivism in the Art of the 20th Century - Modern artists in front of tribal art. The French Edition was realized under the direction of Jean-Louis Paudrat, Gallimard 1987, in-folio, black cloth binding (states) and without dust jacket.

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Punu mask, Gabon Wood Dimensions: 30.5 x 15 x 16.5 cm Provenance: Private collection, France Private collection, France An essential emblem of African art since the late 19th century, the Punu mask corpus was one of the first to be celebrated by modernists (William Rubin "Primitivism" in 20th Century Art, 1984, p. 300). The Okuyi mask was worn during acrobatic dances by men perched on stilts, and the existence of these rituals was reported as early as the mid-19th century by explorer Paul du Chaillu. Their beauty is an echo, a hymn, a resonance to the power and importance of women in Punu social organization. Subtly embodying, in turn, the spirit of the ancestor and feminine beauty, this mask's idealized appearance, softness and beauty combine and celebrate two opposing entities, two dualities: youth and death, sensual beauty and the serenity of the ancestor and the spirit world. Distinct from the classical corpus, the face and surface traditionally powdered with kaolin, in this rare example presents a light brown patina, almost honey depending on the light. The uniform softness of this color is matched by its curves and delicate features, imbued with a deep quietude, a gentle serenity. A sensitive gaze, underlined by slightly raised, arched eyebrows, her half-closed, finely scarified "coffee bean" eyes express and symbolize an inner vision, a link between the living and the dead. The slightly hemmed, asymmetrical mouth reveals a slight smile. The delicate, refined headdress consists of a sober, chiselled axial shell. This type of ceremonial headdress was widespread in the 19th century in the western part of Gabon, among the Aduma and the Punu of Ngounié.