Paul Guillaume and African Art

This room displays African art collected by Paul Guillaume, an unusually distinctive dealer who held a deep passion for African art alongside his interest in modern painting.

In the early twentieth century, most people regarded African sculptures and masks as little more than folk crafts. But a handful of artists—Matisse and Picasso among them—recognized the artistic value within these works and drew inspiration from their distinctive forms and modes of expression, weaving that influence into their own art.

Guillaume's first encounter with African art came by chance. As a young man working at an auto repair shop, he discovered African sculptures inside crates of cargo shipped from Africa and was immediately captivated. He began displaying them in the shop's window to introduce them to passersby.

In 1912, he founded a company specializing in African art and began his career as a dealer in earnest. To help spread awareness of African art's aesthetic value, he even co-authored a book, Sculptures nègres, with the poet Apollinaire.