Hugo Maertens, African Faces - Un Hommage au Masque Africain

African Faces

Un Hommage au Masque Africain

Tielt 2008
With photographs by Hugo Maertens
With texts by Herman Burssens & Marnix Neerman
34.7 x 27.8 cm, 312 p. with num. illustrations
Bibliography and List of works
Hardcover, French / Dutch
ISBN 978-9020982527

One hundred and twenty-eight masks have been photographed in such a unique style that their artistic nature is revealed to the utmost. Each mask has been shot from the front and from the rear. Detail shots reveal each mask as an autonomous work of art. And yet, these masks are not considered works of art in their countries of origin, but rather tools that have a function and a meaning in socio-religious life.

Many of these masks have never been displayed or published before and come from reference collections such as the Museum for Middle Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, the Etnographic Museum in Antwerp and private collections in Belgium, France, UK and USA.

The photographer Hugo Maertens is well known and has worked for different publishers and museums worldwide. The authors Herman Burssens and Marnix Neerman are experts in African art: Brussens is emeritus professor of African art and cultural history at the University of Ghent and Neerman is a private collector of African masks and a dealer in contemporary art.