African Fine Arts - AFRICAN-ART

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Baule Goli Mask - Ivory Coast
The Goli festivities date back to around 1900 and are held to celebrate new crops, the visits of dignitaries or periods of mourning. Three types of masks are used during these festivals, including the discoid style shown here, that represents a highly stylized face beneath a set of horns. It is one of the greatest abstractions in African art; the face is flat, the eyes have an oval frame, the mouth is rectangular. The round head is said to stand for the sun, and the horns for the buffalo, the symbol of fertility.