[Profil] Papa Ibra Tall, maître de la tapisserie et pionnier de l'esthétique négro-africaine
Papa Ibra Tall was born in 1935 in Tivaouane in the spiritual heart of the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood. From a very young age, he was drawn to the visual arts and benefited from the support of influential maraboutic families who entrusted him with the creation of his first charcoal frescoes on the public walls of his hometown.
His academic journey began in prestigious institutions of the time, notably the William Ponty Normal School and then the Maurice Delafosse College in Dakar. It was there that he became familiar with Western artistic movements such as Impressionism and Cubism. Despite the obstacles erected by the colonial administration, he obtained his baccalaureate by correspondence in 1954. He then continued his studies in Paris, entering the École Spéciale d'Architecture in 1955 before specializing in art pedagogy at Sèvres, from which he graduated in 1959.
During his time in Paris, Papa Ibra Tall frequented the intellectual circle of Présence Africaine and absorbed the theories of Cheikh Anta Diop. Upon his return to Senegal in 1960, he dedicated himself to teaching and, in 1961, founded the Recherches Plastiques Nègres (Black Plastic Arts Research) section. This structure became the cradle of an Afrocentric aesthetic that broke with purely Western codes.
In 1966, during the first World Festival of Black Arts, President Léopold Sédar Senghor appointed him Director General of the Decorative Arts Industry. In this strategic position, he played a fundamental role in promoting modern African art and institutionalizing national artistic creation.
It was also in 1966 that Papa Ibra Tall created and directed the national tapestry workshop in Thiès, which is now the Senegalese Manufacture of Decorative Arts. This institution has remained a leading center of international creativity. It was during this same prosperous period that he created the iconic mural in Place de France in Thiès. This work remains a symbolic heritage of post-independence Senegal's cultural development, embodying a resolutely rooted modernity.
An undisputed pioneer of the visual arts, Papa Ibra Tall dedicated his life to the emergence of a contemporary Senegalese school. His unique style, blending tradition and abstraction, influenced generations of artists. He passed away on July 26, 2015, at the age of 80 and is now laid to rest in Tivaouane, his birthplace.
Commentaires (4)
Il me semble que le maire de Thiès est présenté comme docteur es-philosophie. Imaginons qu’on lui propose le sujet de thèse suivant : « Pouvons-nous et avons-nous le droit de détruire l’œuvre d’un artiste, en particulier si cette œuvre a une empreinte sur son lieu de vie ? ».
Croyez-vous qu’il obtiendrait son doctorat ?
Cela dit, sur la destruction, il est certes coupable mais je ne crois pas qu’il soit le seul à clouer au piloris. Si j’ai un peu de temps dans la soirée, j’y reviendrais. En attendant, j’ai faim et encore un peu de boulot à abattre.
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