Rare African mask, sculpture acquisitions grow Kimbell museum’s collection

Kimbell Art Museum is growing its collection of African sculptures with two new acquisitions from one of the largest private collections in the world.

The Fort Worth museum acquired “Reliquary Guardian Figure (Mbulu Ngulu)” and “Mask with Curved Horns” from the esteemed Barbier-Mueller Collection of African, Asian, Oceanian and Pre-Columbian artworks.

The private collection began with Josef Mueller in the 1920s, but later grew when his daughter Monique married Jean-Paul Barbier. The family collections merged and a private museum was opened to display them in Geneva in 1977.

The guardian figure comes from the Kota tribe of Gabon and dates to the 19th century. The horned mask is a rare acquisition originating from the Kwele people of northeastern Gabon and northern Congo. Dated between the 19th and 20th century, the piece is one of a few surviving masks from the tribal group, according to the museum.

Kimbell director Eric M. Lee described the two artworks as examples of “technical mastery and spiritual significance.” He expressed gratitude for the chance to add the sculptures to the Fort Worth museum’s permanent collection.

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth museum declined to disclose the price paid for the artworks.

“The reliquary figure stands out even among the vast and diverse corpus of Kota art in public and private collections, while the extremely rare and beautiful Kwele mask is made all the more special by being exceptional within a small group of similar sculptures,” Lee said in a statement.

The African artworks are on view beginning Nov. 18 in the Kimbell’s Louis I. Khan Building. Admission to the Fort Worth museum’s collection is free.

Closer look at artworks

The reliquary sculpture served as a powerful spiritual and social object within the Kota society as a way of expressing respect for high-ranking elders known as bwete, according to the Kimbell.

The figure is made from wood covered with hammered metal sheets and was traditionally inserted into a basket containing the bones or relics of deceased ancestors. Only the figure’s head and shoulders were visible with its base inserted into the basket as protection for the objects contained there.

Kota sculptures were traditionally kept by extended families or clans in small huts and only became visible to the public during rituals that involved offerings and songs.

Kota sculptures were traditionally kept by extended families or clans in small huts and only became visible to the public during rituals that involved offerings and songs.

The mask features a heart-shaped face covered in white kaolin clay. The face is framed by long, arched horns that curve toward the chin. Two smaller faces are carved near the horn tips.

The Kwele people created art around their belief that the well-being of the community depended on harmony between the living, ancestors and forest spirits known as ekuk, according to the Kimbell.

Sacred masks were displayed as a way to restore balance when conflicts, illness or misfortune arose in a village. The museum believes the “Mask with Curved Horns” was worn during dancing ceremonies or at the end of mourning.

The new additions to the Kimbell’s African art collection are the latest in a string of acquisitions completed by the Fort Worth museum this year.

The Kimbell acquired a rare 18th-century French painting previously caught at the center of a lawsuit in late May before adding an Italian painting from a mysterious artist to its collection three months later.

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.

Disclosure: Kimbell Art Museum has been a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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