Kader Attia and Pablo Picasso at K20

In a room of the K20 location of Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (@kunstsammlungnrw) these busts by French-Algerian artist Kader Attia are placed together with two works by Pablo Picasso. And that is no coincidence. In Attia’s work, he reflects on the colonial attitudes that are still present in the art world. He does so by referring to artists like Picasso and explores their artistic principles, in particular by raising the question of whether they gave those artists from African countries who inspired them the credit they deserve.

The models for these busts were photographs of World War I soldiers who were injured in battle. The deformations in their faces were carved in the teakwood with traditional tools by Senegalese sculptors, reminding of the fragmentation and deformation in modern art.

👨‍🎨 Kader Attia (b. 1970)
🖼️ Culture, Another Nature Repaired (2018)
👨‍🎨 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
🖼️ Grand profil (Jacqueline) (1963)
👨‍🎨 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
🖼️ Femme au miroir (Femme accroupie) (1937)
🏛️ Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
🎟️ Permanent collection
📷 August 2, 2020