The Masai Dance Issa K. Diop

The artist was born in 1948 in Senegal. His father was a leading sculptor in that country. His son followed in his footsteps and studied at the Modern Pattern Foundry in Los Angeles. All his works are connected with African tribal art. In his opinion, the traditional foundry symbolizes the four elements - fire, air, earth, and water. He traveled extensively throughout West Africa to learn about the tradition of African bronze casting. Jazz musicians are also a frequent theme in his work, as he is a great fan of this genre of music. In 1966, Cheikh Diop organized the first festival of African art. He now organizes Village des Arts in Dakar - sculpture workshops, which he himself calls a "dialogue of fire" and to which he invites many artists from Europe. According to one website, most of the outdoor sculptures in the capital of Senegal were made by him or his father. The artist is trying to free himself from the authority of his father, who set the bar very high for him. Few of his sculptures appear at auctions in Europe. Between 2004 and 2016, I found twelve sculptures exhibited by the Thierry Lannou gallery with an estimated value of EUR 1,000-1,500.

The sculpture on offer is probably a variation on a theme often explored by the artist - Masai dance. Although at first, when I was not yet familiar with the artist's work, it reminded me of Rubens' "Descent from the Cross." The artist's approach to the subject is characteristic. A fragmentary view of the figure is meant to symbolize the disappearing tribal art of Africa. The sculpture is large, 82 cm high, with legs forming a triangle measuring 25 x 25 x 18 cm.