The work of the Ivorian artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré had a single objective: to record and transmit information about the known universe. Devoting his life to a quest for knowledge, Bouabré captured and codified subjects from a range of sources, including cultural traditions, folklore, religious and spiritual belief systems, philosophy, and popular culture. “I do not work from my imagination,” he once said. “I observe, and what I see delights me.”
The first survey of Bouabré’s work, and the first exhibition at MoMA devoted to an Ivorian artist, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound spans the artist’s immense production from the 1970s until his death in 2014. A highlight of the exhibition is the Alphabet Bété—Bouabré’s invention of the first writing system for the Bété people, an ethnic group in present-day Côte d’Ivoire to which the artist belonged. Also on view are hundreds of postcard-size illustrations that he drew on cardboard packages of hair products he salvaged from his neighborhood in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital. Tracing the arc of Bouabré’s inventiveness—from the creation of his first writings and drawings focused on the the culture of the Bété, to scenes from everyday life exploring broader themes of democracy, women’s rights, and current affairs—the exhibition celebrates his commitment to collecting, preserving, and sharing knowledge as a way of understanding the world around us.
Organized by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, The Steven and Lisa Tananbaum Curator, with Erica DiBenedetto, Curatorial Assistant, and with support from Damasia Lacroze, Department Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture.
Installation view of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 13, 2022 – August 13, 2022. © 2022 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. « L’endeuillé » from Musée du visage africain. 1996. Ballpoint pen and colored pencil on cardboard, 5 7/8 × 3 15/16″ (15 × 10 cm). The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Installation view of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 13, 2022 – August 13, 2022. © 2022 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. « Les pleurs de l’endeuillé se rendant aux funérailles d’un parent » from Musée du visage africain. 1996. Ballpoint pen and colored pencil on cardboard, 5 7/8 × 3 15/16″ (15 × 10 cm). The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Installation view of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 13, 2022 – August 13, 2022. © 2022 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. Mythologie Bété « Génie guié guié guié » « Génie couvert d’yeux ». c. 1980. Ballpoint pen on laminated paper on cardboard, 16 ½ × 9 ⅝” (41.9 × 24.4 cm). Private collection, Paris. Courtesy André Magnin. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. Le Dieu Solaire APIS (Égyptien) me présente, ici, l’aspect d’un message pictographique que j’essaie d’interpréter à ma façon, au verso du tableau from Connaissance du monde. 1991. Colored pencil and ballpoint pen on board, 6 ⅜ × 12 ⅜” (16.2 × 31.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Installation view of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 13, 2022 – August 13, 2022. © 2022 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. « Ô, Dear black power, if you sit on “world‑trone”, let “God” to lead peacefully your heart, in love of human‑kind of all colour: Aie l’amour de toute humaine couleur!!!! » from Connaissance du monde. 1993. Colored pencil, pencil, and ballpoint pen on board, 11 ⅞ × 9 ½” (30.1 × 24.2 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Installation view of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: World Unbound, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 13, 2022 – August 13, 2022. © 2022 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. « GBRÉ=GBLÉ » N° 118 from Alphabet Bété. 1991. Colored pencil, pencil, and ballpoint pen on board, 3 ⅞ × 5 ⅞” (9.8 × 14.9 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art. © 2022 Family of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
