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Kristina Van Dyke Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021

hen asked in 1982 about the collection she and her late husband, John, had formed, stated, “What characterizes my collection? Maybe a passionate curiosity for the past and also a vulnerability to poetry … poetry of images revealing the beauty and mystery of the world … W[I] am very moved by … art that … expresses the tragedy of man’s ephemeral condition” (de Menil 1983:50). At the time, Dominique de Menil was working with on plans for The Menil Collection, the museum that would house the couple’s collection and manifest its poetry (Fig. 1). Thoughtful and meticulous, Dom- inique de Menil labored over every detail of the design and, when construction was complete in 1987, the installation of the collec- tion as well (Fig. 2). Her goals were clear: “I would like my collec- tion to be displayed in such a way that it opens new vistas, that it reveals ‘Terra Incognita’—islands beyond” (ibid.). The Menil Collection, with its 16,000 objects, is but one out- come of this French couple’s vision and philosophy. Intertwining art, social activism, and a profound , the de Menils left an indelible mark on their adopted of Houston, both in the campus that houses their museum and related galleries and cha- pels, and in the effect their philanthropic projects had on various institutions in the city. Through their political action and sup- port of museums and scholarly projects, they also affected a world beyond Houston and it is within this dynamic framework that the 1 Exterior view of The Menil Collection, Houston, Texas. significance of their collection can be understood. Designed by Renzo Piano, the museum opened in 1987. The The African holdings at The Menil Collection number close to building’s scale is based on the bungalows in the surrounding 1,000 objects, ranging from a miniature Kongo ivory finial (Fig. 3) neighborhood. Its modest size is intended to leave visitors feeling energized rather than fatigued by their encounter with the works to a near life-size Mboi figure from northeastern Nigeria (Fig. 4). on view. Galleries are filled with natural light, which is diffused There are concentrations of objects from Mali, including Dogon through a system of elegant concrete baffles. Photo by Hester + Hardaway sculpture (Fig. 5), Bamana masks and headdresses (Fig. 6), Inland

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CMYK Page 36 09652_20705064 2 Dominique de Menil install- ing the African garden gallery, The Menil Collection, 1987. Dominique de Menil played a hands-on role in the installation of the galleries, which embody the aesthetic she developed with her husband and collabora- tors beginning in the 1950s at the gallery of the University of St. Thomas. Photo © A. de Menil Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021

Niger Delta terracottas (Fig. 7), Benin bronzes (Fig. 8), and Lega places spoke to the human struggle for meaning, in both the past ivories and “maskettes” (Fig. 9). These groupings of objects are and present. For them, putting diverse works of art into dialogue punctuated by unique works, such as a Jukun figure (Fig. 10) and allowed conversations across time and space to unfold—conver- a Bongo figure (Fig. 11). Assembled largely between the 1950s and sations that could inform our own search for meaning. 1970s, the African collection was selfconsciously idiosyncratic, like The de Menils were married in in 1931 and Dominique the de Menil’s collections from other areas. The couple did not de Menil’s conversion from to Catholicism, her have a predetermined agenda and did not aim to be encyclopedic husband’s religion, followed shortly thereafter. , in this or any part of their collection. The acquisition of an African who was born into an aristocratic family in , had obtained object, like any other type, was the result of a strong response to his law degree and was employed in the banking industry until the work itself. Dominique de Menil said, “I think I buy because I 1938, when he began working for , the oil services fall in love” (ibid., p. 49). company founded by his wife’s father and uncle, Conrad Sch- The couple put African art into conversation with the other lumberger and Marcel Schlumberger, respectively. parts of their collection, which grew over time to include ancient, When the Nazis invaded France, John de Menil was in Roma- Byzantine, medieval, modern, Oceanic, Native American art, nia on Schlumberger business and participating in the French and more. Openly embracing chance, the de Menils delighted resistance by disrupting oil shipments from Romania to the Nazis. in the ever-changing shapes the collection took over time. As Dominique de Menil and their two small children fled to south- Dominique de Menil stated in The Menil Collection catalogue, ern France, where she gave birth to their third child, before mak- However well parenthood is planned, children are what they are, not ing their way to ; there they were reunited with John de what parents decide. Like children, treasures of a collection are what Menil. The family moved to Houston in 1940–41, where Schlum- they are. Complex sets of circumstances brought these treasures into berger Surenco, an overseas office of the company, was located, the family: a chance encounter, a visit to an artist or dealer, a glance at though during the war John and Dominique de Menil spent time an auction catalogue, a successful bidding, and, of course, a favorable in Venezuela as well. They eventually established residences in moment for spending. This somehow unsystematic approach was New York and Houston and maintained an apartment in Paris and our way of collecting. Nothing was excluded, yet deep inclinations a residence in Ponpoint as well. Houston became their primary existed. Constraints too: price and availability (de Menil 1987:7). home after the war. The de Menils set out to embrace and trans- form their new city. Dominque de Menil stated, The de Menils’ humanist and spiritual inclinations provided I would never have started collecting so much if I had not moved a foundation for their wide-ranging collection. Whether dis- to Houston … Houston was a provincial, dormant place, much like playing their art works in their homes in Houston, New York, Strasbourg, Basel, Alsace. There were no galleries to speak of, no or Paris, or installing them in exhibitions at various institutions dealers worth the name and the museum—that is why I started buy- they came to be affiliated with in Houston and elsewhere, the ing; that is why I developed the physical need to acquire (Browning de Menils were interested in how art from different times and 1983:192).

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CMYK Page 37 09652_20705064 3 Figure Kongo people, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo Ivory, 6.7cm x 1.9cm x 2.2cm (2⅝" x ¾" x ⅞") CA 7607, Gift of Francesco Pellizzi Photo by Hickey-Robertson

This small figure of indeterminate gender was perhaps a staff finial or part of a related personal object. The figure holds what some have argued is a calabash, a symbol of sustenance and continuity. However, the object’s shape bears a striking resemblance to ceremonial knives, which were important markers of the authority and prestige of chiefs in the region.

4 Male figure Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 Mboi people, Nigeria, c. 1470 Wood and traces of iron oxide, 175.5 cm x 35.6cm x 35.6cm (69½" x 14" x 14") Y 301 Photo by Hickey-Robertson

This figure is one of the oldest and best preserved of the rare Mboi corpus. An effigy of a deceased chief from the Gongola River valley, the sculpture was likely displayed in annual agricultural festivals where communities beseeched their ances- tors for bountiful harvests. At this time, the figure would have been rubbed with oil, giving it a reddish appearance.

During the war period in New York, the de Menils encountered The de Menils’ collecting interests quickly mushroomed, their fellow expatriate Father Marie-Alain Couturier, a French expanding to Oceanic and African art in the late 1950s: for Dom- Dominican priest they had known in Paris. He believed strongly inique de Menil, that the in France should call on artists to create John Klejman … made buying African art very tempting. He lived works of art that communicated in a relevant and contemporary just a couple of blocks from us in New York, and he had fabulous spiritual language. In the 1950s, he facilitated the commissions African and Pacific Island pieces. We started slowly, but every year of numerous contemporary artists for the chapel at Assy (1950), added a few more primitive [sic] works (ibid., p. 37). Matisse for the Chapel of the Rosary at Vence (1951), Fernand Leger’s windows at Audincourt (1951), and LeCorbusier’s design of The couple also acquired African and other works from Julius the Notre Dame du Haut chapel at Ronchamp (1955). As commit- Carlebach. Dominique de Menil recalled going to his gallery: ted Catholics, the de Menils responded to his point of view. It was the time when Carlebach was selling Northwest Coast art Couturier brought the couple to New York galleries such as acquired from the Heye Foundation. He had been selling them to Paul Rosenberg, Valentine Dudensing, Curt Valentin, and Pierre , Breton, and others. But even apart from Carlebach’s early Matisse. Soon after, they began to acquire works by , little store, one could make discoveries, and that was one of my favor- Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, and others (de Menil ite pastimes in New York in the fifties and early sixties (ibid., p. 35) 1983:36). Around the mid-1940s, they met , from whom they would acquire more than 300 works, assembling a While the de Menils did not seriously collect non-Western significant collection with strengths in the work of and Native American art until the late 1950s, it seems that they Rene Magritte and Max Ernst. had at least a passing interest in such works prior to that time.

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CMYK Page 38 09652_20705064 They acquired an unexceptional Punu mask from Gabon from an unknown source in 1932, the year after their marriage. That same year they also purchased two Santani bark cloths from Jacques Viot, who, incidentally, was Max Ernst’s neighbor at the time. Max Ernst’s circumstantial connection to this early Oceanic acquisition, Dominique de Menil’s memory of Carlebach’s gal- lery, and the fact that the beginning of the de Menils’ important collection of coincided with that of their African, Oceanic, and Native American collection, lead one to speculate that their interest in such works may have been precipitated by their modern interests. There is an undeniable Surrealist sensi- bility to the African collection, sometimes revealing itself in a strong resemblance between African and Surrealist works in the collection, such as Max Ernst’s 1945 painting, Euclid (Fig. 12) and

a Congolese sculpture (Fig. 13). There are also objects that sim- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 ply appear surrealist in their form, such as the ivory Lega spoon (Fig. 14) that merges a utilitarian object with the human body. Klejman himself was attuned to this resonance in describ- ing the object for his clients on the invoice: “A very fine carv- ing in ivory of a human figure conceived sur-realistically.”1 The Lega spoon was collected by Nicolas de Kun, a Belgian engineer working in the Congo, and sold to the de Menils by Klejman in 1961. Of the thirty-one Lega pieces in the collection, ten were collected by de Kun. The object files for these works include de Kun’s descriptions and assessments of the works and provide the names of the village of origin, a rare instance of detailed informa- tion about African provenance. In addition, they include corre- spondence between the de Menils and de Kun as well as reports he prepared about the Lega works he collected at the request of the couple, attesting to their desire to know more about them and anticipating the careful research that would define their patronage in years to come. While modern art may have provided an entrée to African art, the de Menils’ larger curiosity about the world around them likely provided other avenues to it as well. Having lived in Paris

5 altar Dogon people, Mali Wood and sacrificial material, 29.8cm x 8.6cm x 7.6cm (11¾" x 3⅜" x 3") X 0053 Photo by Hickey-Robertson

According to Youssouf Tata Cissé, this type of sculpture serves as a fertility altar. The figure’s swelling belly and breasts as well as its head, taking the form of a multi- figure caryatid stool, suggest favorable reproductive outcomes for the supplicant.

6 Jo/Gwan figure Bamana people Wood, 85.1cm x 16.5cm x 21.6cm (33½" x 6½" x 8½") X 143 Photo by Hickey-Robertson

Members of the Jo initiation society and of Gwan, a related group, make sacrifices to these sculptures before they are cleaned and oiled as part of annual rites dedicated to social harmony and continuity. Sculptures are then displayed in groups, a spectacle that continues today though to a lesser extent than in the past.

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CMYK Page 39 09652_20705064 7 Installation view of African galleries, The Menil Collection. Four terracotta sculptures from the Inland Niger Delta region of Mali were acquired by Dominique de Menil in the early 1980s. These works date from the 12th to 15th centuries, the period of the trans- Saharan trading empire of Mali. Photo by Hester + Hardaway Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021

until the war, they were certainly not immune to the art coming The decreased number of acquisitions in the 1980s reflects an from France’s colonies. The collection’s strength in Dogon art, for overall trend in the collection as Dominique de Menil shifted her example, makes one wonder about their knowledge of the much resources to the construction of the Piano building and the costs celebrated Dakar-Djibouti expedition in 1931 and Marcel Gri- of running the new museum. While she made fewer acquisitions aule’s subsequent work in the Bandiagara region. The de Menils’ during this period, many of the pieces added were of exceptional library provides evidence that at some point they began to follow quality, such as the Bongo figure (Fig. 11). This work and many the research of Griaule and his collaborators. In addition, John de others were acquired on the recommendation of her former son- Menil had encountered the continent prior to his marriage when in-law, Francesco Pellizzi (Bénézech 1984:34). Pellizzi and other he took a trip around the world, including stops in Egypt, Ethi- family members played an important role in making recommen- opia, Somalia, Australia, New Caledonia, and Tahiti. He subse- dations in this and other parts of the collection. The five de Menil quently fulfilled his compulsory military service by volunteering children were given gifts of art by their parents from a young age in the Rif Mountains of Morocco (Johnston 1977). This experience and have made generous loans and gifts of these and other works clearly had a favorable impact on him, as he chose to take his bride in the African area. In the last two decades, only a handful of there on their honeymoon, touring by bus. African works have entered the collection, though acquisitions Whatever the source of their interest in African art, once continued in other parts of the de Menils’ collection. established, it developed quickly—in terms of both the collection The de Menils frequented various dealers in New York includ- itself and their ideas for how to put this collection to use. From ing John Klejman, Julius Carlebach, Aaron Furman, John Wise, 1951–56, they acquired seven African works of varying quality Segy Gallery, Henri Kamer (in Paris and New York), Mathias from several dealers. Then, beginning in 1957, the pace began to Komor, and Merton Simpson. For example, they made important quicken and the quality of the acquisitions began to increase: Benin acquisitions from John Wise, including a musketeer and nine works came into the collection in 1957, three in 1958, twelve royal head that were in the Beasley Collection (Fig. 15). Merton in 1959, and forty in 1960. In the 1960s they acquired around 400 Simpson sold the de Menils a group of Kongo Christian objects, African works and more than 300 in the 1970s. Collecting in this including a crucifix that hung above the couple’s bed (Fig. 16) area declined in the period following John de Menil’s death in in their Houston home, designed by in the late 1973, suggesting that he was particularly passionate about Afri- 1940s.2 In Paris, they purchased African works from René Ras- can art. In the 1980s, another 200 African objects were added, mussen, Guy Montbaron, R. Duperrier, Pierre Langlois, and though more than 100 of these were a gift of Yoruba objects given Charles Ratton; the couple acquired an important kuduo from by Texas Southern University professor Carroll Simms. Over the Ratton in 1965 that they gave to the Musée de l’Homme, stat- years, friends and dealers gave an additional 150 African works ing in their letter to the institution’s director: “When we are in to the collection. Paris, we like to go the Musée de l’Homme and to drift along

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CMYK Page 40 09652_20705064 quietly, visiting old friends in the glass cases and discovering new ones.”3 In the late 1970s, Dominique de Menil obtained a number of important works from Philippe Guimiot in Brussels, including four terracottas (Fig. 7) and a bronze figure from the Inland Niger Delta. Klejman, however, was their most important source of African art and a significant advisor in this area as well. More than 200 African objects were acquired from his New York gallery, in addi- tion to another 300 in other parts of the collection. Klejman came from a Jewish family in Warsaw, where he was a dealer of eigh- teenth century porcelain and decorative arts.4 Following the war, Klejman and his family first went to Sweden, a base from which the dealer travelled extensively to France, England, the Nether- lands, and Belgium in order to reestablish pre-war contacts with dealers and collectors before relocating to Mexico. In 1950 the

family settled in New York, where Klejman established a gallery at Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 8 West 56th Street, moving to 982 Madison Avenue in the Parke- Bernet Building in the late 1950s. Once in New York, he began to acquire African and Oceanic objects, as well as antiquities and European decorative art. Klejman had first encountered African art in Paris in the 1930s, when he was studying pre-med at the Sorbonne, and quickly built on this foundation once in New York. He began purchasing Afri- can pieces from the secondary market, primarily buying from collectors and ex-colonial officials and missionaries who had returned to Europe with art. In addition, he purchased African art from dealers in England, Belgium, and France. These works of art were considerably less expensive than the decorative arts he formerly dealt in and represented an important opportunity as he struggled to establish his gallery in the . His young business improved considerably when he was introduced

8 Head from a royal altar Benin people, Nigeria Brass and iron, 29.5cm x 22.9cm x 22.9cm (11⅝" x 9" x 9") V9072 Photo by Hester + Hardaway

Prior to the British Punitive Expedition of 1897, heads representing deceased kings were placed on altars commemorating their achievements. This example was collected by a Colo- nel Burrows in the context of the expedition and was subsequently acquired by the collector Harry Beasley, who shared a British fascination with the renowned kingdom of Benin.

9 Miniature “masks” Lega people, Democratic Republic of Congo Wood and plant fibers, dimensions l–r, 80cm x 8.9cm x 5.4cm, 41.9cm x 8.9cm x 3.8cm, 43.2cm x 8.3cm x 2.9cm (31½" x 3½" x 2⅛", 16½" x 3½" x 1½", 17" x 3¼" x 1⅛") X 0061, X 0062, X 0063 Photo by Hester + Hardaway

Though these works take a mask form, their small size precludes concealment of an individu- al’s identity in a performance context. Rather, they are deployed in the context of the Bwami society and used to teach lessons to initiates when combined with aphorisms, other objects, and gesture.

10 Female figure Jukun-speaking people, Nigeria Wood, 59.7cm x 20cm x 22.2cm (23½" x 7⅞" x 8¾") 71-05 DJ Photo by Hickey-Robertson

Figurative sculpture in this region serves protective and salutary purposes. Though resolute in stance, the figure is nonetheless dynamic in form with its extending coiffure, elongated earlobes, projecting breasts, and bejeweled forearms.

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CMYK Page 41 09652_20705064 TEED GENUINE” at the bottom and signed by the dealer with a flourish. The de Menils clearly relied on Klejman’s advice, asking him to vet works offered by other dealers and to suggest a scholar to catalogue their collection. Klejman recommended Leon Siroto,5 who had recently returned from an extensive research trip in Cen- tral Africa. He catalogued the collection in the 1970s and 80s. The de Menils were excellent record keepers, creating files for each object in their growing collection that almost always included copies of invoices and, oftentimes, even the cancelled check written for the purchase. These records constitute an important archive, revealing the camaraderie between collectors, dealers, scholars, and museum professionals as the field of Afri- can art was developing in the 1960s and 70s. Prior to his death, John de Menil himself established the file for each new piece, ordering and orchestrating the photography. He felt very strongly

about the necessity of producing high-quality photographs. In a Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 letter from 1970 to his Parisian niece, Benedicte Pesle, John de Menil asked for her help in having a “good” photograph made of a Bedu mask the couple had acquired there from Pierre Verité. After registering his displeasure with the last French photogra- pher who shot the couple’s sculpture, he stated, It must be said that few photographers know how to handle sculp- ture. The only ones I know who are good are right here in Houston. They trained themselves through our demanding requirements, and now are the best we know—so much so that we bring sculptures from New York for them to photograph.

11 Funerary figure He then went on to explain the desired result of his request: Bongo figure, Sudan We want light grayish background without shadows. For smaller Wood, 240cm x 28.3cm x 31.8cm (94½" x 11⅛" x 12½") 83-029 DJ pieces frosted glass is the best method—and an umbrella does the Photo by Hickey-Robertson trick for larger pieces. The light should be even—the focus perfect. Quite an assignment, isn’t it?6 Grave markers were commissioned by the families of accomplished hunters and warriors after a period of mourning to recall their achievements and status. In addition to overseeing the photographic documentation of the collection, John de Menil created a handwritten document that was inserted in each object file, detailing the source and date of acquisition, ethnic attribution, and the date and function of the object as provided by the dealer. Oftentimes, these initial to Nelson Rockefeller and René D’Harnoncourt. The introduc- remarks were crossed out and more accurate information added, tion was made by William Liberman, whose mother, Bertha Slat- leaving a record of the de Menils’ evolving relationship with the tery Lieberman, was the 8th grade teacher of Klejman’s daughter, art works in the collection. These changing attributions were the Susanne. As his interest and expertise in this area developed, result of the de Menils’ own research as well as that of others. The his list of clients grew to include not only Rockefeller but the de couple was in regular contact with scholars, sending inquiries Menils, Jacques Lipchitz, Mr. and Mrs. Gustave Schindler, Ray- about specific works to Siroto, as well as Robert Goldwater, Dan- mond Wielgus, Jay Leff, and other. iel Biebuyck, Roy Sieber, Germaine Dieterlen, and others. The de The object files reveal a warm relationship between the de Menils noted scholars’ visits to their collection and the observa- Menils and Klejman, individuals brought together through the tions they made. Their quest to care for and learn more about circumstances of the war who shared a burgeoning interest in the the objects in their collection led them to consult with conserva- arts of Africa, among other places. The nature of their relationship tors and to ask Roger Dechamps at the Royal Museum of Cen- is evidenced in correspondence in the object files and a number tral Africa in Brussels to undertake wood analysis. At times their of significant gifts from Klejman, including a Dogon figure and a inquiries led them to discover that a work they had purchased Kurumba headdress (Fig. 18), both of considerable age. Klejman was of lesser quality than they originally thought or even that it was prone to providing lengthy descriptions of his objects, which was a fake. In these cases, rather than rotating it out of the col- could extend to two pages when he was particularly passionate lection, they held on to the object to put it to use for teaching about a piece and had detailed information on the provenance. purposes, believing that one’s eye can be trained by comparative His invoices are like works of art in themselves, neatly typed on looking (Bénézech 1984:34). onionskin paper and provided in duplicate, stating “GUARAN- As their collection grew in multiple directions, they affiliated

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CMYK Page 42 09652_20705064 Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021

12 Max Ernst Euclid (1945) Oil on canvas, 65.1cm x 59.1cm (25⅝" x 23¼") themselves with institutions where it would enrich the lives of 78-084E others. The de Menils had formed a foundation in 1954 dedicated photo © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / to “la rencontre humaine; to consciously open roads to knowl- ADAGP, Paris edge and a communion of experience among men. It functions 13 Zoomorphic sculpture mainly within the fields of art and spirituality, education and Undetermined people, Democratic Republic of 7 Congo science.” It would provide for the “support and advancement Wood, 20.3cm x 7cm x 12.1 cm(8" x 2¾" x 4¾") of religious, charitable, literary, scientific, and educational pur- X 825 poses.”8 In 1958, they founded the Department of Art History at Photo by Hickey-Robertson

St. Thomas University (UST) in Houston, hiring Jermayne Mac- Despite numerous attempts by scholars, this work Agy to be its chairwoman. has not been convincingly attributed to an ethnic The de Menils had brought MacAgy to Houston in 1955 to be group since it was acquired from John Klejman in 1968. Its “modern” sensibility was noted by William the director of the Association (subsequently Rubin, who included it in the “Primitivism” exhibi- the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston). MacAgy was tion at the in 1984. known for her theatrical installations, her ability, as Dominique de Menil said, to

cast a spell on practically anything. If she desired that an object be able to touch real works of art. This approach to teaching played an raised to the dignity of art, an art object it became. Nothing was too important part in the formation of my own collection. At that time I humble, too banal or corny to be excluded from her phantasmago- started to buy more systematically in certain fields, such as African rias … she managed to confer style and charm to a sardine can, a and Cycladic (de Menil 1983:43). tureen of French paté, and a bottle of Lea and Perrins sauce (de Menil 1968:10). In 1959, MacAgy gave Houston its first significant exposure to non-Western, Native American, and pre-Columbian works of art MacAgy came to have a profound impact on the de Menils, in an exhibition titled “Totems Not Taboo” hosted by the Museum encouraging them to collect African works for the teaching col- of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), but organized by the Contempo- lection and teaching them about the art of installing exhibitions rary Arts Museum (Fig. 19). The exhibition, comprising objects in the university art gallery and occasionally other places as well. from more than forty public and private collections, including Dominique de Menil said of MacAgy that she those of the de Menils and Adesoji Aderemi, the Oni of Ife, lit- always insisted that a collection—even a small one—was indispens- erally lifted visitors out of their space through the creation of a able for teaching. She felt the need to have artworks, for students U-shaped platform. One ascended the stairs, rising to meet the should not only look at slides and book illustrations, but should be objects placed on towering pedestals. The show was a major suc-

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CMYK Page 43 09652_20705064 14 spoon Lega people, Democratic Republic of Congo Ivory, 17.8cm x 4.8cm x 1.9cm (7" x 1⅞" x ¾") X 150 Photo by Hester + Hardaway

Spoons such as this one were owned by high- ranking members of Bwami, a voluntary society charged with teaching and policing moral- ity among the Lega. Used during initiation, spoons symbolically fed miniature “masks” during performances, among other functions.

15 Musketeer Benin people, Nigeria, 18th century Brass, 44.5cm x 24.8cm x 19.1cm (17½" x 9¾" x 7½") V 9073 Photo by Hester + Hardaway

Like the royal head pictured in Fig. 8, this

object was collected by a Colonel Burrows in Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 the 1897 British Punitive Expedition. Roughly a dozen such works depicting Portuguese sol- diers are known to exist.

cess, warranting the praise of Buckminster Fuller, who cabled: gifts and giving works of art, including African and Oceanic You bring honor to Houston as the community first capable of real- objects. izing and [sic] adequately representative constellation of a world Even while they were involved in the MFAH and other insti- around [the] fundamentality of art, whose integrity transcends the tutions, as well as New York museums, the de Menils built the vast remoteness of time and geography separating its spontaneous art history department at UST. When MacAgy died unexpect- fundamental outcroppings all around the edgelands and islands of edly in 1964, Dominique de Menil rose to the challenge of head- the southern hemisphere … invisible to our predominantly northern ing the department and organizing and installing exhibitions in hemispheres [sic] continental preoccupations … you celebrate the the gallery. She followed in the steps of her mentor, putting dif- opening of a new era of man’s enjoyment and knowledge concerning 9 ferent parts of the collection together in evocative installations his whole history around the earth. and transporting viewers into an alternate universe. One of the first exhibitions she mounted after MacAgy’s death was “Humble René D’Haroncourt was in attendance and, based on photo- Treasures,” which presented the African objects in the de Menils’ graphs, appears to have led tours of the exhibition. It is unclear collection as sacred art (Fig. 21). As she stated in the introduc- how the couple formally met D’Harnoncourt, MOMA’s direc- tion to the catalogue, tor from 1949–67, but John de Menil’s service to that institu- Masks and ancestors’ figures, now in museums and collections, were tion’s International Committee beginning in 1953, and Board once focal points of high-volted tensions. Charged with religious of Trustees in 1962, would have meant that they got to know emotions, they were feared and treasured as sacred objects, as abodes each other rather well over time. Furthermore, John de Menil for spirits, as magic bridges between this world and the supernatural became a trustee at the Museum of Primitive Art in 1960, one (de Menil 1965:1). serving with D’Harnoncourt, who was vice-president.10 The de Menils’ collection was shown at the Museum of Primitive By 1968, they had built up a library, a teaching collection, Art in 1962 and a catalogue was produced, the first publica- and a staff of five, including the appointment of Mino Badner tion focusing exclusively on their non-Western and Native as professor of “primitive” art in 1965. Like MacAgy, Badner American holdings (Fig. 20). In 1961, the de Menils tapped encouraged the de Menils to acquire African art works for the this New York network to persuade teaching collection. These objects were used in the classroom, to assume the directorship of the MFAH. The de Menils were passed around to give students intimate contact with their sub- active supporters of this institution and once Sweeney arrived ject of study. As Dominique de Menil explained, the student in 1961, they worked to build its holdings, making monetary “may observe a sculpture from all angles, feel its weight, smell it,

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CMYK Page 44 09652_20705064 caress it. A work of art has invaded his territory and demands his Foundation was supporting for “a true African expression of reponse” (Battock 1969:407). Badner died prematurely in 1977 an African faith, thus an authentic African work of art of mod- and he was not replaced. The de Menils supported scholarship ern times.”13 While the essentializing language may strike one in African art history beyond these departments, funding, for as anachronistic, the hopeful sentiment expressed was certainly example, the doctoral study of Sylvia Boone at Yale and the field- ahead of its time. work of a Columbia University student. In addition the Founda- The de Menils had met Balogun when they traveled to Africa to tion funded other education initiatives, giving scholarships to meet with elders and religious figures as part of their exploratory students at Texas Southern University (an African American uni- research for the creation of an ecumenical chapel devoted to human versity in Houston) and supporting the Institute of International rights, the . The de Menils traveled to numerous Eduction, where John de Menil served as a board member. countries, including Switzerland, France, , Lebanon, Egypt, Tensions with the administration of UST had prompted the Iran, India, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria.14 In Abidjan, they met with de Menils to decamp to in 1969, taking the art the renowned oral historian Amadou Hampate Ba, as well as French history department with them. There they founded the Insti- and Ivoirien scholars and Catholic leaders. Hampate Ba was enthu- tute for the Arts and constructed an exhibition space called siastic about the de Menils’ project, telling them, the Rice Museum. In addition, the de Menils moved the Media I have always wanted to work to unite men. “Search for that which

Center established by Gerald O’Grady at UST to Rice, aided in you have in common with your neighbor” my master used to say. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 their endeavors there by their friend and collaborator filmmaker Disaccord is inherent in human nature: intelligence is dedicated to . The Media Center featured work of African looking for new aspects, new expressions; it always diversifies.15 filmmakers as well American and European ones, hosting seven African filmmakers in 1970 and showing their work as part of a In Nigeria, they met with Ekpo Eyo, Ulli Beier, Wande Abimbola, film festival that toured the United States.11 The de Menil’s inter- and others, in addition to Balogun. After the chapel opened in est in the nascent field of African film led to the Foundation’s 1971, the de Menils invited Abimbola came to Houston in 1973 to support at least two filmmakers. After consulting with Rossel- participate in the first Rothko Chapel symposium, “Traditional lini, the de Menils gave financial support to Moustapha Alassane Modes of Contemplation and Action.” from Niger, one of the filmmakers who had come to the Media The de Menils’ philanthropy was complemented by their Center in 1970, and the Nigerian filmmaker Ola Balogun, both involvement in politics on a local, national, and international of whom were at the beginning of their important careers.12 Both level. They were passionate supporters of human and civil rights. shared connections to Jean Rouch, whom the de Menils would In Houston, they engaged in the fight to desegregate Houston’s come to know through Balogun. In the early 1970s, memos and schools, making contributions to local organizations such as letters in the archive reveal that the de Menils were opening to Citizens for Good Schools and Blacks for Representative Gov- the possibility of contemporary African expression, both in film ernment and supporting the voter registration efforts of Senator and art. In a letter to Balogun from 1972, for example, John de Barbara Jordan. They funded numerous candidates who shared Menil stated that he saw the potential in Balogun’s film that the their goals, including Congressman . The couple

16. Interior view of de Menil house, Hous- ton, Texas. In 1948, the de Menils hired Philip Johnson to be the architect of their River Oaks home and a year later they engaged the cou- turier Charles James as the interior designer. The confident eclecticism of this unexpected pairing was complemented by the display of their collection, including the juxtaposition of a Kongo crucifix and Jean Dubuffet’s painting Texturologie III (1957). Photo by Marc Riboud

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CMYK Page 45 09652_20705064 met Leland when he was a student at Texas Southern Univer- The de Menils also used their art collection to advance sity and he became a great friend and collaborator. They also their political goals. In 1969 they offered to the City of Hous- contributed to grass roots organizations such as SHAPE Com- ton a partial purchase of ’s munity Center, a self-help organization dedicated to bettering (1963–67), with the balance to be paid by the city. Their offer, the lives of the predominantly African American community in which included a dedication of the art work to the memory of Houston’s Third Ward. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was rejected. They purchased the The de Menils saw the potential to effect social change through work themselves and eventually sited it in the reflecting pool the study, placement, and presentation of art. For example, in in front of the Rothko Chapel. Foundation memos repeatedly 1960 they launched a research project called “The Image of the demonstrate that “Black culture is one of the major committ- Black in Western Art,” an ambitious attempt to amass a photo- ments [sic] of the Foundation,”17 whether through its support graphic record of every Western depiction of Africans or peo- of higher education for African Americans, candidates with ples of the African diaspora in art from the ancient period to civil rights platforms, research projects, or display of the Afri- the twentieth century, which they described as “an archeological can collection. In writing to Siroto in 1970 about the acquisi- archive of racial relations, happy and unhappy.”16 The Foundation tion of a Bandjoun headdress, John de Menil noted, “As you also hired a team of researchers to interpret this archive. They know, we want to start a program of exhibitions and lectures

produced a multivolume publication that made a significant to meet the increased interest of the blacks for the civilization Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 contribution to our understanding of the visualization of race in of their forebears. They cannot fail to get the message of this recent decades (see, for example, Vercoutter et al. 1976). In 1994, head—a proud message.”18 the project was moved to the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African While the de Menils felt that the African collection could be a American Research at , under the supervi- source of strength and pride for the African American commu- sion of Karen C.C. Dalton, where this important work contin- nity in Houston during this period of turmoil, they also felt that ues. Volumes I, II, and IV have been published to date, covering African art could provide a point of entrée to black cultures for the ancient, medieval, and modern periods, respectively. Volume white audiences, demonstrating the under-recognized contribu- III, which deals with the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries, is in the tions of the diaspora to American and world culture. To this end, final stages of preparation for its long-anticipated publication. A they asked Mickey Leland to work with them to find a site for an duplicate “Image of the Black in Western Art” archive is housed exhibition that would bring art to a community underserved by at the in London. museums. In 1971, Leland located an abandoned movie theater

17 Male figure Dogon people, Mali Wood and sacrificial material, 83.2cm x 15.9cm x 18.4cm (32¾" x 6¼" x 7¼") CA 63076, Gift of J.J. Klejman Photo by Hickey-Robertson

This figure, thought to be perhaps hun- dreds of years old, is depicted in a knee length garment that bears a striking similarity to those found in military figures in the Inland Niger Delta terra cotta cor- pus. The quiver located on its back hints at a further link to these works from the 12th–15th century, suggesting an anteced- ent tradition of considerable antiquity.

18 antelope headdress Kurumba people, Burkina Faso Wood and pigmen, 91.4cm x 12.7cm x 38.1cm (36" x 5" x 15") CA 63073, Gift of J.J. Klejman Photo by Robert Mates

The Kurumba use these headdresses in funerary and agricultural contexts, con- cerns that are linked to the veneration of ancestors. Geometric designs make refer- ence to family histories and myths.

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CMYK Page 46 09652_20705064 19 Interior of “Totems Not Taboo” Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, 1959. While orga- nized by Jermayne MacAgy in her capacity as director of the Contemporary Art Association, the exhibition was hosted at the Museum of Fine Arts in Cullinan Hall, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1958. The U-shaped platform literally transported visitors to a different space, bringing them face-to-face with African, Pacific, and pre-Columbian art. Photo by Maurice Miller

20 Installation of de Menil Collection at The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1962. Photo © 2007, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021

called the DeLuxe in Houston’s Fifth Ward, a pre- dominantly African American and Latino neigh- borhood, where the community worked together with the Foundation to renovate the building. An exhibition of contemporary art, curated by New York artist Peter Bradley, was installed, featuring the work of an integrated roster of artists includ- ing Bradley, Anthony Caro, Sam Gilliam, Kenneth Noland, Robert Gordon, Daniel Johnson, Larry Poons, and William T. Williams. When the show closed after about a month with more than 4,000 people attending, the de Menils worked with com- munity leaders to put the space to new uses, lending part of their African collection for an installation that lasted two years. During this period of intense activism, one finds in archival documents authored by John de Menil a thoughtful questioning of the Foundation’s role in these projects. He appears increasingly aware of the complexities of his own position of wealth and power in relation to the poorer and predominantly African American communities with whom the Foundation was design process, a prolonged discussion between the architect and working and struggling to find ways he could engage in this work client that would allow the de Menils’ evolving philosophy about in more equitable ways.19 art to be made manifest in the museum. In 1987, The Menil Collec- John de Menil died in 1973 and Dominique de Menil carried on tion, a gift to the city of Houston, opened to the public. many of these projects and took stock of the Foundation’s goals in The African gallery installation remains largely intact from the years following her husband’s death. In 1973, the couple had 1987 (Fig. 22), as there was no curator for this part of the col- been in discussions with to design a campus in the lection prior to my appointment in 2005. The installation was Montrose area of Houston that would house their collection and overseen by Dominique de Menil with assistance from her god- facilitate their various projects. When Kahn himself died shortly daughter Dominique Malaquais, who at the time was getting her after John de Menil, this idea was put aside. By the late 1970s, PhD in African art history at Columbia, as well as the museum’s Dominique de Menil was again exploring seriously the idea of a founding curator, Paul Winkler, and director, . independent institution. After a period of research and travel, the One enters a large white gallery, split into two sections, the first Foundation hired Renzo Piano in 1980 and engaged in a lengthy featuring Dogon, Bamana, and Baule art works complemented

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by the display of four terracottas from the Inland Niger Delta that Dominque de Menil acquired in the early 1980s. The mid- dle portion of the gallery houses a large case of Benin sculpture, before transitioning to an installation of masks and headdresses from West and Central Africa. Many of the art works in this sec- tion feature animals and spiritual beings and are large in scale, in contrast to an adjacent case of smaller objects depicting the human form, setting up a relationship that suggests the diminu- tive stature of humans in relation to a larger world. A second gal- lery is enclosed by glass and contains large-scale sculpture on pedestals with no bonnets. This gallery abuts a central garden with the Oceanic gallery placed on the other side, an arrange- ment that allows one a view onto other parts of the museum. This design element was used in other areas of the museum to effect conversation between different parts of the collection. Like the museum as a whole, label text in these galleries is kept to a minimum and no didactic information is provided. When possible, objects are presented without glass or plexiglass bar- riers. These were conscious decisions on the installation team’s part, intended to provide visitors with a sense of the immediacy of their encounters with the objects. This effect is heightened by the strong use of natural light in the garden gallery and ambient light in the interior one. Dominique de Menil felt that there was a place for scholarship and text, but the gallery should be reserved for the experience of art, where one’s own associations with and responses to the object could unfold in time. In the introduction 21 Installation view of “Humble Treasures” October 1965-–February 1966. Uni- versity of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas. to her collection catalogue, she spoke to this: Photo by Hickey-Robertson I hesitate to write. Events, people, situations, and works of art most of 22 Installation of African galleries at The Menil Collection, 2005. The galleries all are always beyond what may be said of them. Language restricts, remain largely unchanged since they were originally installed in 1987. Reinstalla- limits, impoverishes … Indeed, language has an inherent impotence tion is planned for 2008. as well as a disposition towards aggressivity. Perhaps only silence and Photo by Hester + Hardaway love do justice to a work of art (de Menil 1987:7). 23 “Chance Encounters: The Formation of the de Menils’ African Collection” installation, 2006. This part of the exhibition explored connections between dif- Marie-Therese Brincard, in an insightful essay on the collection ferent parts of the collection and the humanist foundation that underpinned the written in 2005, observes: couple’s larger philosophy and projects. Photo by Hester + Hardaway The overall decontextualized aesthetic approach to display in the museum also reflects the de Menils’ approach to collecting. Each

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CMYK Page 48 09652_20705064 “archipelago” is on equal footing, a balance that distinguishes The In the coming years, The Menil Collection will increase its Menil Collection from most other art museums, in which objects presence in African art history through future exhibitions, publi- from non-Western cultures are felt to stand in need of “contextualiza- cations, and programs. It is our hope that the African collection tion.” Dominique de Menil’s sense of sparseness in display, indeed, will better serve scholars and visitors as John and Dominique de both assumes and requires equality, in that an object—whatever its Menil intended, for they saw these works, like the rest of the col- cultural provenance – exists here in a space of aesthetic perception, not of didactic design (Brincard forthcoming). lection, as an ongoing point of convergence between human beings past and present, never possessed by one but “possessed” by many. The planned 2008 reinstallation of the African galleries and Reflecting on a work from the National Gallery that she had always collection catalogue will take the philosophy the de Menils admired, Dominique de Menil stated, developed about art through their wide-ranging projects as a I am so fond of this strange and miraculous little painting [Domenico starting point. The history I have explored here was the subject Veneziano, St. John in the Desert, ca. 1445] that I experience it as totally of an exhibition I organized in the summer of 2005, “Chance mine when I stand in front of it. And I think that in years ahead there Encounters: The Formation of the de Menils’ African Collection” will be those, unknown to me, who will take and “possess” works that I (Fig. 23). This exhibition marked the first occasion that many of have acquired (de Menil 1987:7). the African objects in the collection had been on view since the Kristina Van Dyke is Associate Curator for Collections at The Menil museum opened in 1987. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/afar/article-pdf/40/3/36/1816098/afar.2007.40.3.36.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 Collection.

Notes 10 John de Menil served on MOMA’s International References cited Committee from 1953–73 and as a trustee from 1962–73. I wish to thank my colleagues at The Menil Collection Battock, Gregory. 1969. “‘A Young Teaching Collection:’ He was a trustee at the Museum of Primitive Art from for their generous assistance with this article: Geraldine From Art to Idea.” Art Journal 28:406–410. 1960–73. Aramanda, Mary Kadish, Mary Lambrakos, Amy Sul- 11 Press release, Rice University papers 03/12, Bénézech, Anne-Marie. 1984. “La rime et la raison: le livan, and Michelle White. Menil Archives. choc des mondes.” Interview with Dominique de Menil. 1 Object file X 150, The Menil Collection. 12 Memorandum to Grants Committee, 10 June Arts d’Afrique Noire 51:33–7. 2 When the de Menils hired Johnson to design 1972, Projects and Grants 11/05, Menil Archives. their home on San Felipe in 1948, they effectively Brincard, Marie-Therese. forthcoming. “‘Dialogues 13 John de Menil to Ola Balogun, 25 August 1972, launched his career in Texas. They subsequently under- in Silence’: The de Menil’s Collecting and the Menil Projects and Grants11/05. In this letter, John de Menil wrote his design for the master plan of the University Collection of African Art.” In A Century of Collecting thanks Balogun for introducing the couple to Rouch. of St. Thomas in Houston, which he completed in 1957, African Art in American Art Museums (working title), They stayed in contact with the filmmaker and he came with construction commencing the following year. ed. Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Christa Clarke. to visit The Menil Collection after it opened in 1987. Around this period, he designed the Amon Carter 14 Exploration Log No. 4—Africa, February Browning, Dominique. 1983. “What I Admire I Must Museum in Fort Worth, which opened in 1961. 23–March 1, 1972, Rothko exploration log papers, C Possess.” Texas Monthly (April):141–7, 192–209. 3 Object file, Gift 070, The Menil Collection. 1-7, 1971-72. The chapel’s design was originally com- 4 Susanne C. Klejman, personal communication, de Menil, Dominique. 1965. “Introduction.” Humble missioned by Philip Johnson but finished by Houston 6 June 2005, 16 November 2006, and 6 March 2007. This Treasures, p. 1. Houston: The Art Department of the architects and Eugene Aubry. It and other information about Klejman’s personal his- University of St. Thomas. houses a suite of paintings by that were tory comes from these conversations with Susanne C. commissioned by the de Menils. The chapel originated ______. 1983. “Dominique de Menil.” Interview by Klejman, to whom I am indebted for her willingness to as a memorial to MacAgy and was envisioned as “an staff of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Ange- share her family history. instrument for encounters” between various religions les, in The First Show: Paintings and Sculpture from Eight 5 John de Menil to Leon Siroto, 5 May 1970, Siroto as well as “those who do not acknowledge God but are Collections, 1940-1980, eds. Julia Brown and Bridget files, Menil Archives. In this letter, John de Menil states, close to him in their search for peace and justice.” (See Johnson, pp. 35–50. Los Angeles: Museum of Contem- “We have, together with our Foundation, an important Exploration Log No. 1: Memorandum to the Board of porary Art. collection of African sculpture—about 500 pieces—and the International Ecumenical Center, 13 October 1971, we would like to have it catalogued authoritatively. Your ______. 1987. “Foreward.” In The Menil Collection, pp. Rothko exploration log papers, C 1-7, 1971-72.) name was suggested by John Klejman, who said that 7–8. New York: Harry N. Abrams. 15 Ibid. Hampate Ba refers here to Tierno Bokar, you are the outstanding authority in the field.” his teacher in Bandiagara. ______. 1968. “Introduction.” In Jermayne MacAgy: 6 Object file CA 63025 (de-accessioned), The 16 John de Menil to Ola Balogun, 25 August 1972. A Life Illustrated by an Exhibition, pp. 10–12. Houston: Menil Collection. The Houston photographers to whom 17 Memorandum to Grants Committee, 10 June University of St. Thomas. he refers are Blaine Hickey and Ogden Robertson. 1972. 7 “Notes on The Menil Foundation (Draft)” Johnston, Marguerite. 1977. “The de Menils.”The Hous- 18 John de Menil to Leon Siroto, 13 October 1970, October 1974, Foundation correspondence 1970-75, ton Post, 9 January. Scholars’ papers, Menil Archives. Menil Archives. 19 Memo to Grants Committee, 15 November 1972, Vercoutter, Jean, et al. 1976. The Image of the Black in 8 Vertical files, Barker Texas History Center, Uni- Projects and Grants, Menil Archives; Draft of memo Western Arts. Vol. 1, part 1. Houston: Menil Foundation. versity of Texas, Austin. from John de Menil, 9 July 1972, Projects and Grants, 9 Western Union telegram from Buckminster 11/05, Menil Archives. Fuller to Jermayne MacAgy, 28 February 1959, MacAgy papers 03/15 and Totems not Taboo 02A/02, Menil Archives.

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