FORBES

by Alexandra Bregman

Cole Harrell has been dealing Sub-Saharan African art for more than a decade...but you might not guess it. As an openly gay member of the New York social scene, Harrell leads a lifestyle as stunning and curated as his bespoke exhibitions. This spring, in tandem with Mother's Day, Harrell held an event at his Chelsea penthouse that boldly celebrated the sacred feminine through African masterpieces, aptly titled "FEMME". Just 13 masks and figures from the Congo and Yoruba tribe will remain on show until June 30th, essential viewing for those interested in the rich history of Black Art. "African sculptors have famously venerated the female form in their work, so it seemed a natural choice," Harrell explains. "Through their artistry, classical African sculptors sought to honor the divine feminine in all her manifestations," the press release begins, "From the nurturing mother to the fierce warrior; from the wise elder to the playful maiden. At the heart of FEMME lies a celebration of the sacred mysteries of womanhood — the primal forces of creation and destruction, nurturing and protection, birth and rebirth."

Harrell’s selection depicts motherhood, healing, and powerful journeys along the fault lines of fertility, from sisterhood of community to the deification of the individual. Objects celebrating fertility include a Nkisi figure from the Bwende culture in Democratic Republic of Congo, a Luba-Zela kihona stool, a Dan gunyege mask, and a d'mba Yamban mask from Guinea, by a Baga sculptor.

A catalogue essay by Aurore Mariani explains the d’mba goddess as one of generosity. Literally transliterated as the "good spirit", her supple, milk-filled form is believed to express a Baga beauty ideal, and thus, in her fertility, the community’s survival in abundant harvests during sacrifices and offerings for prosperity. Speaking of the Baga figure, Mariani summizes: “She is the Mother of mothers in all her splendor and beauty.” The d'mba have been known in the West since the 17th century, with items from their tradition historically held in France. Mariani’s essay explores the history of the people, explaining how migration to Guinea underscored the importance of a female anchor. Citing the Temne people, she translates, “the world was created by the spirit of the woman, she is the origin of life” (Lamp, 1982, p.244-283). “Thus, wearing the mask was synonymous with carrying life,” she writes, “To the point that when giving birth, according to Sayers (1927: 111) women would say ‘I po’ sara a-ron," which literally translates to "I have carried the mask on my head.’” An accompanying dance for ceremonies evolved slowly, as few examples were made to protect the sanctity of the object. Picasso owned a similar mask from the Baga region, purchased in 1920, which is said to have inspired his depictions of Marie-Therese. Harrell's selection is one of four in its exact style, originally owned by a Swiss collector named Emil Storrer who acquired it in its original territory sometime in the 1950s. One of his acquisitions is currently at the Kreeger Museum in Washington, D.C., and another the Rietberg Museum in his home city of Zürich.

While FEMME indisputably honors all things woman, Harrell was certain to acknowledge the "often fluid nature of gender as it relates to classical African sculpture," citing a Nigerian scepter of Eshu, the benevolent Yoruba messenger from the heavens and a trickster god. Harrell shared that Eshu is traditionally presented as male, requiring constant appeasement to continue his conveying of sacrifices and divining the future. While Eshu is almost always depicted as male, Harrell selected a rare sculpture presenting the deity as female, with full breasts and an infant carried on the back. Harrell cited scholar Ayodele Ogundipe, noting Eshu is ultimately genderless, embodying both male and female traits. "Eshu’s indeterminacy sits at the heart of Yoruba hermeneutics, an approach to truth that leaves meaning open-ended and unresolved," Ogundipe writes. "Eshu’s presence at the gates of consciousness is essentially queer."

As at once a pioneer and a veteran in the niche African art space, Harrell has proven consistency and expertise as a dealer throughout his career. He coined the phrase, "Triple A: Age, Authenticity, Aesthetics," when seeking out new items, and is careful to abide by the contemporary export laws in African nations — he visits, but not to acquire. He insists all works under his purview must have provenance dating back to at least 1970. Ultimately, Harrell is as passionate about intention as he is art history, evidenced with FEMME and other exceptional exhibitions he has hosted, such as Mastering Worlds; Exploring Space and Scale in Tribal and Asiatic Art, 2015, which paired classical African miniature sculpture with traditional Japanese Bonsai, and Past is Prologue, an annual series launched in partnership with Montague Contemporary, New York in 2022, in which Classical African art is dialogue with contemporary artists in diaspora. He is very active at the Frick Collection through his partner, internationally esteemed arbitration lawyer and museum board member, Tai Heng-Cheng.

Harrell deftly summarized the history of the field, from its colonial beginnings with 19th century collectors hungering for ethnographic exotica, to the infusion of Western respect that came with the radical shift of aesthetics in 20th century European Modern Art. "Fortunately, today, African Art is regarded much more widely as Fine Art, and a category all its own," he clarified. "It is also worth noting that I am seeing more collectors and institutions in Africa and Asia concerned with African Art than ever before. Whereas previously, an object's ritual use was often the primary focus, audiences are now as concerned with the artist, just as they would be with Western art." With this show, Harrell invites viewers not only to celebrate the feminine on view, but to look beyond to the world around them for its reverence, and inevitably, into themselves. It is essential viewing for those who need to find the feminine in their lives, and to appreciate the power of African aesthetic the world over.