This collection of essays plus integrated catalogue accompanies a traveling exhibition of art from Liberia and Sierra Leone, collected over several decades by the late William Siegmann and bequeathed to the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts in 2011. Emphasizing the forest regions of the Upper Guinea Coast, this publication includes both well-known and lesser-known artistic traditions and practices. Sande and Dan masks, brass casting, early photography, and contemporary use of ancient nomoli and other stone sculptures feature prominently.
The volume opens appropriately with a memoriam to Siegmann's dedication, energy, insight, and communication skills, as well as his generosity. He enabled several institutions in the United States and Liberia to significantly enrich their collections and acquire in-depth insights into the arts of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The opening essay by Mariane C. Ferme and Paul Richards provides the reader with an almost impressionistic set of observations concerning the primary and “secondary”...