Yves Le Fur Bücher

The book showcases a remarkable array of art spanning Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, housed in the musée du quai Branly in Paris. It features 300 high-quality reproductions of masterpieces alongside insightful essays from thirty-seven leading experts, enhancing the reader's understanding of these diverse cultures. Organized into four sections based on continent, this reference volume provides essential insights into the artistic achievements and cultural significance of various civilizations, from sculptures to ceremonial masks.

Through works of art, photographs, and writings, this volume explores Picasso’s fascination with tribal art and the influences he repeatedly drew upon for his own oeuvre. “African art? I don’t know it.” With this provocative tone, Picasso tried to deny his relationship with art from outside of Europe. However, through hundreds of archival documents and photographs, this volume illustrates how tribal art from Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Asia was a recurring source of inspiration for the artist. Side-by-side comparisons illustrate the links between Picasso’s oeuvre and diverse tribal arts. In both, we find the same themes—nudity, sexuality, impulses, death, and more—along with parallel artistic expressions of those themes—such as disfiguration or destruction of the body. The volume is completed with a chronology of the relevant works and photographs of the artist in his studio.