72 - Fetish; Yaka Culture. Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century.

Fetish; Yaka Culture. Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century. Wood, fabric, and plant fiber. Provenance: A. Aróstegui Collection, Madrid. Measurements: 53 × 11 × 8 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A ritual figure carved from wood, anthropomorphic in form and depicting a full-body figure, belonging to the Yaka people, who are primarily settled in the southwest of the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo and in parts of Angola. The piece combines wood carving with appliqués of fabric and plant fiber—materials that enrich its formal composition and reflect the ritual nature of such objects in African cultural traditions. Yaka art is distinguished by the expressiveness of its sculptures, the stylization of forms, and the integration of diverse materials into objects linked to ceremonial practices and traditional beliefs. This figure bears witness to the artistic and spiritual richness of Yaka culture, as well as to the diversity of visual languages developed in Central Africa during the 20th century.