Neuberger Dogon
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Neuberger shows important Dogon carving Piece
will become part of museum's African Art collection
Displayed amidst several striking photographs taken in the 1970s by
well-known photographer Eliot Elisafon, the shutter is set in the
architectural context of a Dogon village, in which the granary is the most
important building.
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read also: Neuberger-New-York & Neuberger
Elaborately carved, the Dogon shutter portrays eight elongated figures with
breast-like protuberances, hands, legs, and featureless faces. According to
Marie-Therese Brincard, Curatorial Advisor, African Collection at the Neuberger
Museum of Art, the figures might represent Dogon ancestors.
 RECENT ACQUISITION:
DOGON SHUTTER
This wood shutter from the Dogon peoples of Mali is on special view at
the Neuberger Museum of Art.
19th-20th century, wood, 31 x 17 inches
Collection Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art,
Purchase College, State University of New York
Gift of Denyse and Marc Ginzberg
Thanks to the generosity of Denyse and Marc Ginzberg, the
Neuberger Museum of Art received a rare sculpted shutter
from the Dogon peoples of Mali in West Africa.
Displayed amidst several striking photographs taken in the
1970s by well-known photographer Eliot Elisofon, the shutter
is set in the architectural context of a Dogon village, in
which the granary is the most important building.
Elaborately carved, the Dogon shutter portrays eight
elongated figures with breast-like protuberances, hands,
legs, and featureless faces. According to Marie-Thérèse
Brincard, Curatorial Advisor, African Collection at the
Neuberger Museum of Art, the figures might represent Dogon
ancestors.
"However, the lizard refers to a Dogon myth in which a
primordial being was transformed into a crocodile. As an
animal associated with water, fertility and order, the
lizard's representation on the shutter endows the granary
with a potent symbol of life," she says. This Dogon
shutter is rare, one of only five known examples on the same
theme.
Defense, survival, and fruits of the harvest are reflected
both in the great number of Dogon granaries and by their
characteristic structure. Square or round in shape, these
storehouses present blind walls to the plain, but their
doors and shutters, with or without locks, face the village.
Often huddled against one another to restrict access, these
thatched, mud-brick storehouses may rest on four large
stones, supporting floor beams, to raise them above the
ground. The elaborate carving on this shutter indicates,
too, the importance of the granary's owner, the Hogon, the
political and religious leader of the Dogon village.
Greenwich Time
.
Greenwich, Conn.:
Mar 6, 2006
pg. B.8
Section:The
Arts
Publication title:Greenwich Time. Greenwich, Conn.: Mar 6,
2006. pg. B.8
ISSN/ISBN:02795213
(2006 Southern Connecticut Newspaper Inc)
Neuberger shows important Dogon carving
Piece will become part of museum's African Art collection
A small, finely carved granary shutter, from the Dogon peoples of
Mali in West Africa, is on special view at the Neuberger Museum of Art,
Purchase College. It is the most important and recent gift to the
Museum's African Art collection from Denyse and Marc Ginzberg of Rye,
New York. The shutter is the first sculpture from the Dogon peoples to
enter the Museum's collection, which focuses primarily on the art of
Central Africa.
Displayed amidst several striking photographs taken in the 1970s by
well-known photographer Eliot Elisafon, the shutter is set in the
architectural context of a Dogon village, in which the granary is the
most important building. Elaborately carved, the Dogon shutter portrays
eight elongated figures with breast-like protuberances, hands, legs, and
featureless faces. According to Marie-Therese Brincard, Curatorial
Advisor, African Collection at the Neuberger Museum of Art, the figures
might represent Dogon ancestors.
"However, the lizard refers to a Dogon myth in which a
primordial being was transformed into a crocodile. As an animal
associated with water, fertility and order, the lizard's representation
on the shutter endows the granary with a potent symbol of life,"
she says.
This Dogon shutter is rare, one of only five known examples on the
same theme.
Defense, survival, and fruits of the harvest are reflected both in
the great number of Dogon granaries and by their characteristic
structure. Square or round in shape, these storehouses present blind
walls to the plain, but their doors and shutters, with or without locks,
face the village. Often huddled against one another to restrict access,
these thatched, mud-brick storehouses may rest on four large stones,
supporting floor beams, to raise them above the ground. The elaborate
carving on this shutter indicates, too, the importance of the granary's
owner, the Hogon, the political and religious leader of the Dogon
village.
The Dogon shutter will be on view through April 9, 2006 then included in
the permanent collection.
Credit: GT features staff
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