A Dan Seat Seat of a notable Dan, Côte d'Ivoire Ohne Sockel / without base Wood, iron. H 39 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 300 / 600 Weight in grams: 2400 Condition: Left end piece of the backrest broken off and glued on (see photos, especially the visible crack). -------------------------------- The condition of this lot (wear, signs of use, cracks, any other damage and signs of age, etc.) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. If applicable) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions with any questions regarding this lot ([email protected]). The statements regarding the condition of the items made for the convenience of interested parties are opinions only and should not be treated as statements 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 Hammer Auctions has been notified within 5 days of receipt of the lot.

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African Ethnograhic Art from Gérald & Muriel MINKOFF, Galerie Walu and others Swiss Private Collections.

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Hammer Auktionen