Dakar School

Dakar School
École de Dakar
Years activeSeptember 1960–1974
LocationSenegal
Major figuresLéopold Sédar Senghor,
Iba N'Diaye,
Papa Ibra Tall,
Pierre Lods,
InfluencesGovernment of Senegal,
Négritude

The Dakar School (French: École de Dakar, lit. 'School of Dakar') is an art movement born in Senegal at the dawn of independence, between 1960 and 1974. It was supported by the first Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, and worked within the framework of the larger cultural movement of Négritude from the 1930s. The three teachers that were the foundering members of this art movement included Papa Ibra Tall, Iba N'Diaye, and Pierre Lods.[1]

History

"La Foret aux Souvenirs" (1962) by Papa Ibra Tall
"La Foret aux Souvenirs" (1962) by Papa Ibra Tall

Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor was the first art critic of French-speaking Black Africa, which started with his first publication on the matter in 1956.[2] In his early years of office starting in 1960, Senghor created the Grand National Theater of Dakar (French: Grand Théâtre National de Dakar), the National Tapestry Manufacturers in Thiès [fr] (French: Manufacture Nationale de Tapisserie de Thiès), and the École Nationale des Beaux Arts (it merged in 1995 and now National School of Arts, Senegal [fr]) in Dakar.[3][4][5]

Under the paternalism of Senghor, the Dakar School was formed in September 1960 and its approach aimed to form a globalized contemporary art in Senegal.[6][7][2] It had retrofitted the ideas from Senghor's Black nationalist movement called Négritude (founded in the 1930s),[6] to demonstrate that the Black Africans were capable of creating beauty, but based on the model of Western contemporary art. The movement favored warm colors, figurative and abstract representations with references to African aesthetics and mythologies.[8]

The National Tapestry Manufacturers in Thiès [fr] tapestry weaving facility in the city of Thiès founded in 1966 by Papa Ibra Tall.[9] National Tapestry Manufacturers in Thiès was a government sponsored and supported by Senghor, and many of the Dakar School artist were involved with their work.[9]

List of associated artists

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth; Fillitz, Thomas (2020-06-15). Dak'Art: The Biennale of Dakar and the Making of Contemporary African Art. Routledge. pp. 39–42. ISBN 978-1-000-18245-3.
  2. ^ a b c Abdou, Sylla (July 2002). "Hommage à L. S. Senghor" [Tribute to LS Senghor]. Ethiopiques no. 69 (in French). Archived from the original on 17 November 2018 – via Wikiwix.
  3. ^ Salami, Gitti; Visona, Monica Blackmun (2013-10-22). A Companion to Modern African Art. John Wiley & Sons. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-118-51505-1.
  4. ^ Harney, Elizabeth (2004-11-23). In Senghor's Shadow: Art, Politics, and the Avant-Garde in Senegal, 1960–1995. Duke University Press. p. 260. ISBN 978-0-8223-3395-1.
  5. ^ a b c "Iba Ndiaye, African Modernist Painter, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Cohen, Joshua I. (2018). "Locating Senghor's École de Dakar: International and Transnational Dimensions to Senegalese Modern Art, c. 1959–1980". African Arts. 51 (3): 10–25. ISSN 1937-2108 – via JSTOR.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Njami, Simon (2007). Africa Remix: Contemporary Art of a Continent. Jacana Media. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-77009-363-8.
  8. ^ Ströter-Bender, Jutta (1991). Zeitgenössische Kunst der "Dritten Welt": Äthiopien, Australien (Aboriginals), Indien, Indonesien, Jamaica, Kenia, Nigeria, Senegal und Tanzania (in German). DuMont Buchverlag. p. 244. ISBN 978-3-7701-2665-1.
  9. ^ a b Harney, Elizabeth (2002). "The Ecole de Dakar: Pan-Africanism in Paint and Textile". African Arts. 35 (3): 13–90. ISSN 0001-9933 – via JSTOR.
  10. ^ Sy, El Hadji (21 March 2000). "Ba, Amadou". Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t096554. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  11. ^ a b "Seydou Barry". Africultures (in French). ISSN 2271-1732. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Gaudibert, Pierre (1994). L'art africain contemporain (in French). Editions Cercle d'art. pp. 59, 65. ISBN 978-2-7022-0386-6 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b c d Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (France) (1974). Art sénégalais d'aujourd'hui: exposition Galeries nationales du Grand Palais ... 26 avril–24 juin 1974 (in French). Éditions musées nationaux. pp. 30, 51–52, 55.
  14. ^ a b "Remembering Souleymane Keita". AfricaNAH.org. 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  15. ^ a b "Abdoulaye Ndoye Dans l'air du temps". Hoop Galerie. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  16. ^ a b "La Rédaction: Amadou Seck et Philippe Sène, deux figures historiques de l'Ecole de Dakar à la galerie Christophe Person". On Art Media (in French). February 25, 2023. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  17. ^ Rottenburg, Judith (15 December 2018). "Younousse Seye: The Making of a Pan-African Woman Artist in Post-Independence Senegal". AWARE Women artists / Femmes artistes. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  18. ^ "Amadou Sow Passes Away At 64". Happening!. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Thiam Chérif". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  20. ^ Jean, Kennedy (1992-07-17). New Currents Ancient Rivers. Smithsonian. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-56098-037-7.