The Sculptures of the Congo

I have always loved figurines. Hummels, Llardros and all kinds of beautiful, small figures catch my eye. They bring me a great deal of enjoyment and lift my spirit.

I also love sculpture more than any other art medium. We have seen some of the great ones in the Vatican, Borghese Gallery, Academy Gallery in Florence and in Rome.

We have visited the Louvre and seen many beautiful pieces of art...

Including Winged Victory and Venus Di Milo. In other places in Europe we have seen some equally amazing works.

I even loved the Totems and Inuit figures of Alaska.

So, I was interested in the statues and figures of the Congo. There are some statues, but no figurines. The statues aren't much like the sculptures of Europe or the United States. Most figures are primitive metal, plaster or wood carvings. Some are interesting and very African, some are not so great. In a country where water, power and food are still all-consuming daily work it is amazing that art still exists. It reflects the country and the culture and I still find it interesting. So, here they are...

Actually these are my two favorites.

Statue of man and women and Statue to the Honor of Women.

Statues in the Greek Compound

Old Woman w/Water, Gas station lion, Warrior Eagle and Metalic Florescent Star

Soccer Player, Christ in Ruashi, and theTrain Relic

More Soccer Stuff and the Big Gray Elephant

Monument to the late Pres. Kabila (who was assassinated) and the Military Monument

Non-working Lion Fountain

For the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Independence this past June,

the city put this new fountain in a main area of town.

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We visited the Lubumbashi museum and found these modern sculptures and enjoyed seeing the work of today's African artists. They are definitely African in style and subject matter.

Masks are a very traditional and important form of carved wooden figures. These are some really interesting ones in the museum.

These two the Frogleys bought from a man who came to our gate selling things.

In South Africa we bought a couple of things that I consider sculpture/art. At least they're something pretty to look at as we walk through the house. There is not enough beauty in the this world. Here are our beaded rhino, which is a big craft form in South Africa, our ancient Bayle mask from Ivory Coast, and our Tuikara head rest (nomad's pillow) from Cameroon. We love them all. It's nice to have something pretty to look at.