237 - Igor DELMAS (born in 1929)

Igor DELMAS (born in 1929) Mbembe Figure (Nigeria), detail of the head viewed from the front Head with a face split horizontally, ears in relief and remnants of nails, deeply eroded wood, on a gray background. Print produced for the catalog of the exhibition “Scultura africana. Omaggio a André Malraux ” (Rome, Villa Medici, May 7–June 15, 1986), curated by Jacques Kerchache and presented at the French Academy in Rome, then directed by Jean-Marie Drot. Silver print 30.1 x 29.9 cm Inscription on the reverse: Pencil annotation: “M’BEMBE p162–163”; photographer’s stamp “PHOTO IGOR DELMAS”; Kodak paper Provenance: former collection of Jean-Marie Drot Bibliography: Scultura africana. Omaggio a André Malraux, exhibition catalog, Rome, Villa Medici, May 7–June 15, 1986, texts by Jacques Kerchache, photographs by Igor Delmas, Rome-Milan, De Luca Editore / Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1986, reproduced on pp. 162–163. Born in Alès in 1929, Roger Delmas, known as Igor Delmas, is a photographer and painter based in Paris. One of his photographs, dated 1946 and acquired by the French government in 1983, is housed at the Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou. As a photographer of works of art, he collaborated with the collector and dealer Jacques Kerchache, photographing his African sculptures, notably for the catalog of the exhibition “Scultura africana. Omaggio a André Malraux” at the Villa Medici in 1986. His black-and-white photographs, with their tight framing and low-angle lighting, reveal the texture of the weathered wood and the sculptural power of the works. He is also the author of more experimental works, such as the photo books *Propos de l’Archiviste* (1974).