On the last afternoon of our West Africa tour, we visited a gallery and the studio of Emmanuel Sogbadji, one of Togo's most important artists (a stamp has been issued in his honor), a painter and sculptor with an international reputation. The sculpture exhibit is discussed on-line at this website; it has links to Courbet and Brancusi, as well as to Togolese themes. I particularly enjoyed the paintings in his studio, which struck me as comparable to those of the best of contemporary painters.
It was nice to end our Tribal Africa: Ghana, Togo, and Benin tour - which properly emphasized traditional life, art, and customs - with a demonstration that contemporary art from this region, taking inspiration from both traditional and modern themes, is fully deserving of a place on the current world stage.
It was nice to end our Tribal Africa: Ghana, Togo, and Benin tour - which properly emphasized traditional life, art, and customs - with a demonstration that contemporary art from this region, taking inspiration from both traditional and modern themes, is fully deserving of a place on the current world stage.
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