Les Eclaireurs exhibition of contemporary African art
Master works by the greatest contemporary African artists at various locations throughout Avignon
From 19th May 2017 to 14th January 2018, the City of Avignon will be displaying outstanding works from the Blachère Foundation;
For the first time in the history of the city and of the foundation, 76 sculptures by 30 artists from Africa and the African diaspora will be exhibited in Avignon museums including the Palace of the Popes, the largest Gothic palace in the world and UNESCO World Heritage.
The Palace of the Popes, in partnership with Avignon Tourisme, is the setting for works such as Confluences, monumental metallic tapestry by Ghana artist El Anatsui, Egg Fight, large installation by the Anglo-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE and Solipsis by South African artist Wim Botha.
The long lean silhouettes in concrete wire by Senegal sculptor Ndary Lo form a whole in the Benedict XII Cloister, paying tribute to one of the very first artists in the collection. Two works by Moustapha Dimé, Senegalese artist from the isle of Gorea, are displayed in the Grand Tinel, inside the Palace of the Popes.
The cloister inside the Petit Palais is the setting for Diagne Chanel, one of the five women artists in the show, with A Season in South Sudan. And on the esplanade in front of the Palace of the Popes, a monumental work by Ndary Lo stands forth like a signal.
The Calvet museum displays four works by the great sculptor from Senegal, Ousmane Sow, who died in December 2016. The Lapidaire museum is home to a life-size elephant in the centre of a visual installation by South African artist Andries Botha.
Venue
Avignon
