African Masks

Black Africa has had the reputation of being one of the pre-eminent examples of the art of the mask. Rapidly, museums and occidental collectors became very interested in African masks, as it was thought that the abstract graphics largely influenced the beginning of modern art. Outside of their esthetic value, masks had – and still have – a very specific function in society. Whether it is to present myths or traditions, execute rites of passage or fertility, initiation or funerals, masks represent the incarnation of the spirits, and the supernatural prone to enter into village life. These masked apparitions, whether they were highly sacred or bordering on the profane, also allowed the transmission of wisdom, beliefs and moral codes from generation to generation.

Collection from the Centre Régional de Service aux Bibliothèques Publique de l’Estrie (CRSBPE).