240 - Igor DELMAS (born in 1929)

Igor DELMAS (born in 1929) Mbembe figure (Nigeria), detail of the head in profile Head with a striated forehead and an ear in relief, nails embedded in the headdress, eroded wood, on a black background. Print produced for the exhibition catalog “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 20.1 cm Inscription on the reverse: Pencil annotation: “M’BEMBE p169”; 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 p. 169. 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 National Museum of Modern Art—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 albums “Propos de l’Archiviste” (1974).