Hand hammered copper sculpture of a Dog from the Dogon people; Mali, West Africa

Artists Without Borders

The world is getting smaller. In rural China, a farmer tilling the soil by hand is interrupted when his iPhone rings. In the evening he watches television with his family and learns about a terrorist attack in Paris and a tsunami in Japan. In Africa, a man in a loin cloth goes inside his hut and switches on a computer. He watches an auction for African art in real time; the descriptions conveniently translated into his local language. No one lives in a vacuum. Information and ideas cross borders far faster than we can transport ourselves or physical goods. For good or ill, the world is getting smaller; and this is particularly evident when examining current trends in science, philosophy, religion, politics – and art. 

This Dog sculpture bares a striking resemblance to Le Chein by Alberto Giacometti

This week’s New Arrival features a sculpture from the Dogon people in Mali, West Africa. Crafted in hand hammered copper, the artist who made this piece is unknown. Yet, one thing is certain. They came from the Bandiagara escarpment, or cliff, one of the most remote areas of the country. The Dogon moved there a thousand years ago to avoid religious persecution; however, even the cliff could not protect them from the influence of other cultures. This piece bears an unmistakable resemblance to a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, called Le Chein, "the Dog," which was based on Picasso’s Afghan hound. It illustrates how artists affect each other and just how small the world has really become.

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