Dogon Mask (Kanaga), Mali

John Giltsoff, London
Don Nelson, Greenwich, acquired from the above
Nicole and John Dintenfass, New York
Sotheby's, New York, May 19, 2000, lot 177, consigned by the above
Jan Krugier, Monaco, acquired at the above auction (inv. no. "JK 5803")

Albertina Museum, Vienna, From Goya to Picasso: Masterpieces from the Collection of Jan Krugier and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, April 8 - August 28, 2005
Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, Das Ewige Auge - From Rembrandt  to Picasso: Masterworks from the Collection of Jan Krugier and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, September 20  - October 7, 2007

Jean-Paul Barbier, "Confidentiellement vôtre", Arts and Cultures, No. 2, 2001, p. 196, fig. 5
Klaus Albrecht Schröder and Christine Ekelhart, Goya bis Picasso : Meisterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, Vienna, 2005, p. 310, ill. 1
Christiane Lange and Roger Diederen, Das Ewige Auge - From Rembrandt  to Picasso: Masterworks from the Collection of Jan Krugier and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, Munich, 2007, pp. 490-491, cat. 237

Good condition for an object of this type and great age. Erosion from insect damage on the reverse. Open age crack to proper left side, and other narrow vertical age cracks on both sides. Tip of proper left ear with loss as seen in catalogue illustration. Surface is weathered and worn throughout. Marks, nicks, scratches, dents, and abrasions consistent with age and use. Fine dry, aged, orange-brown patina with remains of darker pigment.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Krugier Dogon Kanaga mask is a vivid example of Jan Krugier's eye for the formal affinity between works of art from primordial cultures and those of the early 20th century modernists.  The geometric form of this archaic mask, with its astonishingly dramatic reduction of the human face, mirrors the solutions arrived at by the avant-garde artists in the circle of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, as seen for example in a Picasso drawing of 1911, Tête, from Krugier's collection.