Overview
The practice’s fields of expertise.
The practice covers a deliberately coherent range: the core is Central African ritual art, joined by the arts that surround it, extend it or bring it into dialogue with today’s creation.
A core, and circles around it
The core is Central African ritual art: statuary, masks, objects of worship and power. Around it are neighbouring fields the founder has long practised in galleries: the art of Cameroon, contemporary art, design, textiles and adornment, diaspora collections.
This organisation reflects Edith Mbella’s career: in her Madrid gallery she showed “tribal art, design and contemporary African art” before founding Espace Bolo in Douala.
Central African ritual art
The heart of the practice.
12Statuary and masks
Bangwa, Fang, Kota, Teke, Songye, Luba…
13Cameroon and the Grassfields
The kingdoms of the West.
14Tribal art and “arts premiers”
Vocabulary and market.
15Contemporary African art
Scenes and artists.
16Design and decorative arts
Objects and furniture.
17Painting, photography, plastic arts
Works on canvas and on paper.
18Textiles, adornment, regalia
Cloth, regalia, jewellery.
19Diaspora and private collections
Family holdings and inheritances.
How the scope is kept
An expertise is worth its limits. When a piece falls outside the practice’s competence — a distant cultural area, a material requiring laboratory analysis — we say so from the first exchange and, where possible, offer a referral.
Frequently asked questions
Going further
Do you appraise all regions of Africa?
The practice specialises in Central Africa and Cameroon. For other cultural areas, it says so clearly and can refer to colleagues. Objects outside this scope are referred to specialist colleagues.
Can one file mix ancient and contemporary art?
Yes, notably for private collections and estates. Each piece is examined by the criteria proper to its field.
How can I tell if my object falls within the practice’s scope?
Send a few photographs through the assessment request: a first reply will say whether the piece is within the practice’s competence.
Next step
What is your object?
Describe your piece in a few lines and attach photographs: the reply is confidential.