Edited by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi. With contributions from Damasia Lacroze and Erica DiBenedetto

 

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (1923–2014) created an unmistakable and entirely unique body of work, first as a writer and linguist and then in dazzling series of colorful drawings on a multitude of subjects, from his native Bété culture to the urban milieu of Abidjan to the all-encompassing themes of fraternity, equality, and global understanding. All but unknown even in his home country of Côte d’Ivoire, Bouabré found international recognition in 1989 when he participated in the landmark Paris exhibition Magiciens de la terre, and his work has since been the subject of solo and group shows around the world.

 

Published to accompany the first museum survey of Bouabré’s work in North America, this catalogue offers a vivid account of the artist’s long and multifaceted career, including a detailed chronology of his life and reproductions of more than six hundred of his drawings. An essay by curator Ugochukwu- Smooth C. Nzewi introduces Bouabré to a new audience, illuminating his significance as both an important African creator and one of the most intriguing artists of the twentieth century. 96 pp.; 645 illus.