Yves Le Fur Livres

The book showcases a remarkable array of art spanning Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, housed in the musée du quai Branly in Paris. It features 300 high-quality reproductions of masterpieces alongside insightful essays from thirty-seven leading experts, enhancing the reader's understanding of these diverse cultures. Organized into four sections based on continent, this reference volume provides essential insights into the artistic achievements and cultural significance of various civilizations, from sculptures to ceremonial masks.

Through works of art, photographs, and writings, this volume explores Picasso’s fascination with tribal art and the influences he repeatedly drew upon for his own oeuvre. “African art? I don’t know it.” With this provocative tone, Picasso tried to deny his relationship with art from outside of Europe. However, through hundreds of archival documents and photographs, this volume illustrates how tribal art from Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Asia was a recurring source of inspiration for the artist. Side-by-side comparisons illustrate the links between Picasso’s oeuvre and diverse tribal arts. In both, we find the same themes—nudity, sexuality, impulses, death, and more—along with parallel artistic expressions of those themes—such as disfiguration or destruction of the body. The volume is completed with a chronology of the relevant works and photographs of the artist in his studio.

The Musée du quai Branly in Paris, opened in 2006, is home to over 450,000 works from the indigenous cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. The vast majority of these pieces were formerly housed in the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie (now closed) and in the ethnographic department of the Musée de l'Homme. Since its inception in 1998, the Quai Branly museum newly acquired 77,082 of those works, including 15,587 objects and 61,225 graphic works and photographs. 20 Years provides a behind-the-scenes look at the formation of the museum, and the growth of its collection through the acquisition process. With over 400 images, 20 Years includes contributions from ten department heads and others at the museum, discussing their decision process for acquiring new items and the new research opportunities enabled by 20 years' worth of acquisitions.