Ousmane Sow (10 October 1935 – 1 December 2016) was a
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
ese sculptor of
larger-than-life statues of people and groups of people.
Life
Sow was born in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
, Senegal, on 10 October 1935. After the death of his father in 1956, he left Dakar to study in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, where he obtained a diploma in
physiotherapy. He returned to Senegal after it became independent in 1960 and started a practice in
physiotherapy. He later went back to France and practised there, but returned to Senegal in 1978.
He died in Dakar on 1 December 2016 at the age of 81.
Work
Sow was inspired by photographs by
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda.
A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...
of the
Nuba peoples
The Nuba people are indigenous inhabitants of central Sudan. Nuba are various indigenous ethnic groups who inhabit the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state in Sudan, encompassing multiple distinct people that speak different languages which ...
of
southern Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Con ...
, and from 1984 began to work on a series of
larger-than-life sculptures of muscular Nuba wrestlers. To make them, he developed a series of new techniques and materials. They were shown at the
Centre Culturel Français de Dakar in 1987. Sow later made series of sculptures of
Maasai people, of
Zulu people
Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Nata ...
, of
Peul or Fulani people, and, in the late 1990s, of
Native Americans.
Reception
Sow had many international exhibitions, including at
documenta IX
DOCUMENTA IX was the ninth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 13 June and 20 September 1992 in Kassel, Germany. The artistic director was Jan Hoet in collaboration with Bart de Baere, Denys ...
in
Kassel in 1992, at
Palazzo Grassi
Palazzo Grassi (also known as the Palazzo Grassi-Stucky) is a building in the Venetian Classical style located on the Grand Canal of Venice (Italy), between the Palazzo Moro Lin and the campo San Samuele.
History First owners
During the 16th c ...
in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
during the
Biennale of 1995, and on the
Pont des Arts
The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine. It links the Institut de France and the central square (''cour carrée'') of the Palais du Louvre, (which had been termed the "Palais des Ar ...
in Paris in 1999.
In the 2008
Prince Claus Awards
The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...
, on the theme of ''Culture and the human body'', he was one of the eleven laureates.
On 11 April 2012 Sow was elected a Membre Associé Etranger ("foreign associate member") of the
Académie des Beaux-Arts
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
of the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute ...
, replacing
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth ( ; July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was an American visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century.
In his ...
. He was the first black person to have been elected to membership.
References
Further reading and viewing
* Yolande Josèphe (1993) ''Ousmane Sow: Sculpteur d'Afriques'' (film, 24'). Paris: Sésame productions; Ateliers de diffusion audiovisuelle. (VHS video)
* Jean Loup Pivin, Pascal Martin Saint Léon, Jean-Marc Tingaud (1995). ''Ousmane Sow: Sculptures''. Paris: Editions Revue Noire. .
* Alain Mabanckou (1999). Ousmane Sow: La sculpture du spectacle. ''Présence Africaine'' (159): 211–214.
*
usmane Sow(1999). ''Ousmane Sow: Pont des Arts, Paris, 20 mars – 20 mai 1999'' (special number of ''Beaux Arts'' magazine). Paris: Beaux Arts SA. .
* Jacques A. Bertrand, Béatrice Soulé (
006
Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...
. ''Ousmane Sow''. Arles : Actes Sud.
* Béatrice Soulé (2006). ''Ousmane Sow'' (film, 26'); ''Ousmane Sow, le soleil en face'' (film, 55'). Neuilly-sur-Seine: Le P'tit jardin; Paris: Actes Sud. (DVD video)
* Fabrice Hervieu-Wane (2008). Ousmane Sow: Sculpteur d'histoires. In: Fabrice Hervieu-Wane, Éric Maulavé (2008). ''Dakar l'insoumise''. Paris: Éditions Autrement. .
* Nicolas Michel (2009). Ousmane Sow, l'anartiste. ''
Jeune Afrique'' (2525): 86–87.
* Béatrice Soulé, Christophe Humbert (2009). ''Même Ousmane Sow a été petit''. Paris: Le P'tit Jardin. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sow, Ousmane
1935 births
2016 deaths
People from Dakar
Senegalese sculptors
Members of the Académie des beaux-arts