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Julien Gauthier

Powerful Grebo Mask, Liberia / Ivory Coast

Wood, encrusted patina
Height: 40 cm
Provenance: Old Dutch collection, acquired in the 1980s

This powerful mask is a classic creation of the Grebo people of southeastern Liberia, celebrated for their bold and abstract sculptural style that profoundly inspired European modernist artists such as Picasso and Braque.

Carved with two prominent tubular eyes, a forceful triangular nose, and a rectangular mouth inset with zigzag teeth, the mask projects an intense, almost confrontational presence. The tubular eyes, likened to “cannons,” symbolize supernatural sight and vigilance, while the jagged mouth embodies both speech and mystical energy. The heavy brow adds to its helmet-like, martial quality.

Used by Grebo warrior societies, masks of this type were intended to intimidate adversaries and repel harmful spirits, asserting both social and spiritual power. The perforations around the rim once supported raffia or fiber attachments that enhanced the mask’s dramatic impact during performance.

The surface bears a deep, encrusted patina with rich traces of age and use, while the interior shows smooth wear from handling and long ritual service. These qualities point to an early 20th-century origin (ca. 1900–1930).

Grebo masks of this quality and authenticity are increasingly rare and highly sought after by serious collectors and institutions.

Comparable Examples: Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes

Dance mask - Liberia - Powerful Grebo Mask

African & Tribal Art

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African & Tribal Art

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Dance mask - Liberia - Powerful Grebo Mask

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