Mickaël Bethe-Selassié

Mickaël Bethe-Selassié (1951–2020) was an Ethiopian artist who was characterized by his works and colorful representations often made with large-scale papier-mâché. He is also recognized for works made with paint and reliefs.

Biography

Mickaël Bethe-Selassié was born on 15 February 1951, in Dire Dawa, in a small village in eastern Ethiopia. He was the youngest of three brothers. When he was barely two years old in 1953, his father died, causing his mother to make the decision to move to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. He lived in the capital at his grandparents' house where he spent a large part of his life where he studied until high school.He lived in France most of his life and this is where he worked after leaving Ethiopia. His mother, who worked at Menelik Hospital, died in 1974. During his stay in France, he had several moments of crisis when he was not clear about his interests, so he was forced to work in small jobs to be able to have some money. It was not until the age of thirty that he began to venture into the arts.

Education

His education began in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, which was where he began high school and had his first interests in some branches of science.He studied at the French school Lycee Gebre Mariam where he obtained a scholarship to have the possibility of studying in France. Once he graduated in 1970, he decided to leave Ethiopia in search of gaining a better knowledge of fine arts. In 1971, he arrived in France was where he would live and work until his death in December 2020. During his time at college, one of his interests were multiple branches of science, such as history, chemistry, or anthropology.

His beginnings in art came through the medium of painting. Upon his arrival in France and not having a great fascination with the sciences to study them in their entirety in his moments of boredom in his studio, he had the opportunity to start painting the walls of the studio. As he created elements with paint, he decided to add more elements by integrating clay, fabric, and paper to give life to his characters. It was not until his 30s that his first interventions in the art of sculpture were seen. However, much of the art began later in his life. Part of the development of his art was also due to his fascination with world religions. His ideas and ways of seeing the world were influenced by Catholicism and Zen Buddhism which helped him further develop his art.

Art work

The vast majority of Mickaël Bethe-Selassié's works are usually sold at auction but there are some works which are preserved in various prestigious institutions around the world. One of the places where it is possible to find samples of his work is the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. In addition, the impact of his works has been so great that they were even exhibited in 2011 at the SBK in Amsterdam. Most of his works can be found at auctions which range between 400 and 1000 euros depending on the complexity of the works.

Style

Bethe-Selassié's works are distinguished by preserving irregular and organic shapes, in addition to having the mixture of multiple colors where details of Ethiopian culture can be appreciated. His work becomes related to the tradition of Jean Dubuffet and also to the characteristics of art brut. Much of his works are associated with these terms due to the simple but highly expressive forms that make them up. The representation of these range from the characterization of royalty, animals and even warriors.

The way of creating his works is carried away by the representation of Ethiopian characteristics where Coptic paintings and the motif of the cross serve as inspiration. In his works you can observe the presence of people where with the tones of paint, the varied use of his materials and the exalting use of colors he was able to create carnivalesque figures. He was exiled from Ethiopia during the time of the Marxist military government. Upon his return he sought to demonstrate his knowledge and understanding of the arts of Ethiopian culture through the great experience that he was able to appreciate in the diaspora.

Some came to criticize his work for describing it as primitive when the reality is that Bethe-Selassié's work was more sophisticated than many thought. Having lived so many years in France he allowed his art to be influenced by everything that the French art scene of that time represented. Something very characteristic of his way of working was that he never made preparatory sketches or models for the creation of his sculptures and simply worked with his materials in the most direct way possible. By making his works in this way he already had a notion of what he wanted to capture in the sculptures, which caused his decisions to be made based on improvisation and what he felt at the moment. What he achieved with this technique was that his works had a sympathetic feeling and very close to the surrealist aesthetic. Some find similarities with outsider art while others find more Western characteristics in his works, making them believe that his style establishes parallels with Karel Appel.

''Mégalithe''

''Mégalithe'' is a sculpture on display at the National Museum of African Art, purchased with funds provided by the Annie Laurie Aitken Foundation. It is a piece which represents the work of Mickaël Bethe-Selassié since it contains elements of his Ethiopian culture and shows the skills that he uses in each of his works.One of the main works which accurately expresses its characteristics within art, this being a vertical sculpture which was created in 1991. It is a work made mainly of paper mâché painted mainly on three sides which has a face on the top of the work and with small details throughout the body which become representations of Ethiopian culture by representing small characters with inorganic shapes. The use of colors is varied, making the work striking with colors such as blue, red, and yellow.

Guerrillero and Mama Africa

These are two sculptures made of polychrome papier-mâché on wire mesh wood. These sculptures have dimensions of Height: 245 cm - Width: 92 cm - Depth: 80 cm. These works are also made with elements such as fabric, ceramic elements of cork, raffia hair and necklaces. In its appearance you can see the use of various colors such as the use of yellow, orange, red, brown and details in blue and black. Aspects that stand out about these sculptures are their faces, presenting expressions of astonishment in the case of Guerrillero and surprise in the case of Mama Afrika. It can be perceived small elements referring to Ethiopian customs such as the use of lines, inorganic figures, colors, and details such as earrings or clothing. These sculptures were exhibited in Halle Saint Pierre, Paris 1993.

Arche Croix et Totem

This is a sculpture made of polychrome papier mâché which stands on a wood grill. In this work you can see the elaboration of an arch with elements on its sides such as small windows and with two bases in its lower parts. Within this work you can see small elements such as figurines of animals and characters with cartoonish appearances. The variety of colors is very diverse, highlighting the use of red and green. On the bases of the sculpture, you can see writings that can be described as elements of a newspaper covered with mostly black paint. The base is made of wood and the measurements that make up the sculpture are Height: 365 cm - Width: 180 cm - Depth: 104 cm. This sculpture was exhibited in renowned museums such as Halle Saint-Pierre, Paris and Addis Ababa Museum, Ethiopia.

Voyage Initiatique

This is a work which is called to be described as an elegant and fun structure due to the similarity that can be given to a cartoon which was created in 1994. This work is made of paper mâché with measurements of 64 x 58 x 35 1/ 2 in, contains two figurines which are on top of a cart with the idea of simulating that they are carrying out an exploration. It can be seen colors such as orange, green, blue, and brown, these having a contrast that makes the figure look opaque. The title ''Voyage Initiatique'' is given for the initiation rituals that young people must do as a way of marking the beginning of adulthood. In the same way, it refers to the way young people travel in Ethiopia when they must travel through rural and urban areas, cross borders and have the idea that they embark on trips that involve physical and psychological aspects. This figure is exhibited in the National Museum of African Art, Washington.

Solo exhibitions

* 2007 "Univers Phénico-Sabéen", Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez.
* 2006 Huijs Basten Asbeck, Groenlo, Nederland.
* 2005/06 Espace Cosmopolis, Nantes Château des Carmes, La Flèche
* 2004 Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris "abba Dia -Abbadia", Médiathèque François Mitterrand, Hendaye Asni gallery - Addis Abeba , Ethiopia
* 2002 Galerie de la Halle Saint Pierre, Paris Parnas Huis voor Kunst en Cultuur, Leeuwarden, Nederland
* 2000 Gallery Vromans, Amsterdam, Nederland
* 1999 "Het Magische Woud", Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, Nederland
* 1998 "Tour de Planète", Commerzbank, Frankfurt, Deutschland Tour Abbatiale-Musée, Saint-Amand-Les Eaux
* 1997 Galerie Virus, Antwerpen, Belgique Kulturverein Zehntscheuer E.V, Rottenburg, Deutschland
* 1996 Galerie 2X20, Arnhem, Nederland Collégiale Saint -Pierre-Le-Puellier, Orléans De Stadshof Museum, Zwolle, Nederland
* 1995 "Living Paper", Dany Keller Gallery, Deutschland Musée des Beaux Arts de Chartres
* 1994 "The Sacred Forest, The October gallery, London Galerie la Lune en Parachute, Epinal Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Deutschland
* 1993 "Croix et Totems", Halle Saint- Pierre, Paris Addis Abeba Museum, Ethiopie
* 1992 Afrika Cultural Center, Johannesburg, South Africa Galerie Loft, Windhoek, Namibia Centre Culturel franco-namibien Dany Keller gallery, Munich, Deutschland Ancien Musée des Automates, Paris
* 1989-91 Galerie Horloge, Paris
* 1987 Galerie Bonino, Rio de Janeiro, Brésil Galerie Mab, Salvador, Brésil Palais des Arts, Belo horizonte, Brésil
* 1986 "Printemps au Jardin", Paris
* 1985 Galerie la Licorne, Paris

Group exhibitions

* 2008 Abroethiopia, Asni gallery, Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
* 2007 Ethiopia-millénium, Palais de l'Unesco, Paris "Terre Noire", musée Maurice Denis, Saint Germain en Laye
* 2006 Asni gallery, Addis Abeba, Ethiopie
* 2005/6 "African Voices", Museum of World Cultures, Göteborg, Sweden Musée Bonnat, Bayonne
* 2003 "Ethiopian Pasages" , N.M.A.A., Smithsonian Institutuion, Washington
* 2002 Symposium international de sculptures - Corée du Sud
* 2001 Atelier VII - La Guéroulde - France
* 2000 Symposium international de sculptures - Corée du Sud "Les Enfants du Monde", Les Rendez-Vous Toyota, Paris Art -Box project, Hanover, Deutschland "L'Afrique à Jour", Lille
* 1998 "Visa pour 100 Papiers ", Centre Culturel la Rairie "Afrika ist überall", Eisenstadt, Autriche Triennale der Kleinplastik, Stuttgart, Deutschland. "Contemporary African Art", WorldSpace, Washington, U.S.A. Centre Culturel Albert Camus, Tananarive, Madagascar
* 1997 "Papiersculpture" Landesgalerie ,Linz , Autriche "Ethiopie en Fête", Forum Culturel, Blanc Mesnil "Suites Africaines", Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris
* 1996 "Aethiopia", Musée Royal d'Afrique Central, Tervuren, Belgique "The Other Journey", Kunsthalle Krems, Autriche
* 1995 Bomani Gallery, San Francisco, USA "Dialogues de Paix", Genève, Suisse Foire de Cologne (D. Keller Gallery), Deutschland
* 1994-1995 "Otro Païs", exposition itinérante, Espagne
* 1994 "De l'Afrique à l'Afrique", Tunis, Tunisie
* 1993 "Présence Africaine", Villa du Parc, Annemasse Musée d'Art Moderne, Monterey, USA "Africa : Skulptur Heute", D. Keller Gallery, Munich, Deutschland "Us Project", organisé par Peter Gabriel
* 1992 "Paris Connections : African Artists in Paris", Bomani Gallery, San Francisco "Passeport sans visa", Cloître des Dames Blanches, La Rochelle
* 1991 "Les Atotémiques", Galerie Oz-Ekla, Paris Foire d'Art Contemporain, Rouen
* 1990 "Façades Imaginaires", Grenoble "Afrique en Fête", Palais de l'Unesco, Paris
* 1989 Centre Culturel Français, Belgrade
* 1988 "Singuliers, Bruts ou Naïfs?", Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
* 1987 Festival France-Ethnicolor, "Cirque d'Hiver", Paris
* 1986 Sculptures polychromes, Eymoutiers

Award

2010

BETHE-SÉLASSIÉ, Mickaël. La jeune Éthiopie : un haut fonctionnaire éthiopien, Berhanä-Marqos Wäldä-Tsadeq, 1892-1943.

Paris: l’Harmattan, 2009

References

External links

Biographical sketchOfficial website

1951 births
2020 deaths
Ethiopian sculptors
Ethiopian expatriates in France
20th-century sculptors
21st-century sculptors

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