Past Exhibit

NH Antique Co-op Igbo mask
African Igbo tribe helmet mask, hand carved wood, 21 ̋ h x 11 ̋ w x 13 ̋ d
NH Antique Co-op Christopher Myott painting
Christopher Myott (b. 1982), Box Canyon, oil on wax panel, 42 ̋ h x 41 ̋
NH Antique Co-op African Senufo carved figure
African Senufo figure, hand carved wood, 39 ̋ h x 13 ̋ w x 5 ̋ d
NH Antique Co-op Mazhar Akyut (1911-2001), Bottles #3, oil painting
Mazhar Akyut (1911-2001), Bottles #3, oil on panel, 25 ̋ h x 32 ̋

IN THE TOWER GALLERY
Art Exhibit
Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks
On view in the Tower Gallery 2020-2021

New Hampshire Antique Co-op presents Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks, an exhibition and sale of modernist 20th & 21st century paintings juxtaposed alongside a collection of Oceanic and African hand-carved masks and figural carvings. 

The paintings in this exhibition include works by noted 20th & 21st century artists, such as New Hampshire Cubist painter Fannie Hillsmith (1911-2007), contemporary Monadnock region artist Christopher Myott (b. 1982), Peterborough based artist Nora Spicer Unwin (1907-1982), Mazhar Akyut (1911-2001, Turkish), Timothy Sanchez (b. 1945, American), Richard Lytle (b. 1935, American), Stephen Trefonides (b. 1926, American), as well as works from the school of Jackson Pollock. 

Tribal masks and objects featured in the exhibition include works from the Baule, Pende, Senufo and Dan African tribes, as well as war and canoe prow shields from Papua New Guinea. Examples of helmet masks, hand-held masks, dance masks, buffalo and elephant masks, Sepik hooks and more are on view.

This combination of abstract art and tribal works in Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks represents the influence of African tribal art on Cubist artists such as Picasso and Braque. The artists of the early 20th century were inspired by the bold abstract designs that they discovered in African tribal masks. They collected and used these works of art to influence their own styles of Cubism. Since abstract art does not attempt to capture an accurate depiction of visual reality, it instead uses shape, color, form and gestural marks to achieve its goal. In effect, Cubist artists were sparked by African culture to refresh the tradition of figure painting in Western Art and to move toward total abstraction. 

Tribal masks have been used in African rituals and ceremonies for centuries, likely originating from the Paleolithic era. African tribal artists who made masks were highly respected in their societies and given special status. It is considered an honor to wear masks and only a few select members of a tribe are allowed to wear them—usually men or elders. 

Making masks required artistic skill as well as knowledge of the spiritual world. Masks were believed to represent the spirits of animals or ancestors and the individual who wore the mask transformed into the spirit. Designed with human or animal characteristics or a mixture of both, tribal masks are typically made of wood, metals, fabric and stone, and are often embellished with seashells, animal hair, feathers, straw, horn, and teeth.

The most common uses for masks were in tribal dances during harvest festivals, in processions to honor distinguished visitors, at the funerals of important figures, for war and aggression against enemies, and for other ceremonial and sacred traditions.
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Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks is now on view in the Tower Gallery at New Hampshire Antique Co-op.

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