A Bozo zoomorphic Seat

Zoomorphic seat Bozo, Mali Ohne Sockel / without base Wood. H 26 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. The combination of the useful and the beautiful is particularly evident in the artistically designed seating. The shapes of the African seats are just as varied as their use. Simple seats hewn from a block of wood are juxtaposed with complex composite chairs and royal thrones. Elementary forms of the purest functionality are juxtaposed with richly ornamented works adorned with figurative carvings. From the market woman to the ruler, they are used for comfortable or functional sitting and can also be symbols of wealth, dignity and power, taking a firm place in ceremonies and ritual acts. The seats, which are generally personally owned, may be kept as memorabilia by surviving relatives until no one can remember the former owners. Further reading: Bocola, Sandro (1994). African seats. Munich, Prestel Verlag. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from their meeting in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 200 / 400 Condition: Assembled from four parts, whereby a fifth part has been lost. Native repair of the seat on the underside. Assembled from four parts, whereby a fifth part has been lost. Native repair of the seat on the underside. -------------------------------- The condition (wear, eventual cracks, tear, other imperfections and the effects of aging etc. if applicable) of this lot is as visible on the multiple photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auktionen for all questions you might have regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. In the rare event that the item did not conform to the lot description in the sale, Hammer Auktionen is here to help. Buyers may return the item for a full refund provided you notify Hammer Auktionen within 5 days of receiving the item. -------------------------------------------- The condition (possible wear, signs of use, cracks, possible other damage and signs of age, etc.) of this lot can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. If you have any questions about this item, please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions ([email protected]). The information regarding the condition of the items provided for the convenience of interested parties is an opinion only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. In the rare event that the item does not match the description in the catalog, Hammer Auctions is here to help. Buyers may return the lot for a full refund provided they notify Hammer Auctions within 5 days of receiving the lot.