Frédéric Bruly Bouabré

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, also known as Cheik Nadro (b. c. 1923), is an Ivorian artist.

Bouabré was born in Zéprégüé, and was among the first Ivorians to be educated by the French colonial government. On March 11, 1948, he received a vision, which directly influenced much of his later work. Bouabré created many of his hundreds of small drawings while working as a clerk in various government offices. These drawings depict many different subjects, mostly drawn from local folklore; some also describe his own visions. All the drawings are part of a larger cycle, titled World Knowledge. Bouabré also created a 448-letter, universal alphabet, which he used to transcribe the oral tradition of his people, the Bétés.

Today, Bouabré lives in Abidjan; many of his drawings are in the collection of Jean Pigozzi. One of his emblematic drawings is saved in the L'appartement 22 Commection on the African continent: "Une divine peinture relevée sur le corps d'une mandarine jaunie", made by Bouabré in 1994 in Abidjan.

Exhibitions

• 2004-07 "Africa Remix", the touring show has started on 24 July 2004 at the Museum Kunst Palast in Düsseldorf (Germany), and travelled to the Hayward Gallery in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.
• 2002 Documenta 11, Kassel, Germany
• 2001-02 "The Short Century" ,was an exhibition held in Munich, Berlin, Chicago and New York and organised by a team headed by Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor
• 1996 “Neue Kunst aus Africa”, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germania
• 1995 Galerie des Cinq Continents, Musée des arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, Paris, France
• 1995 "Dialogues de Paix ”, Palais des Nations, Geneve, Switzerland
• 1994 “Rencontres Africaines”, the touring exhibition has shown in Insitut du Monde Arabe in Paris, Cidade do Cabo in Sud Africa, Museum Africa in Johannesburg and in Lisbon(Portugal).
• 1994 “World Envisionned”, together with Alighiero Boetti, the exhibition has shown in DIA Center for the Arts in New York and American Center in Paris.
• 1993 “Trésor de Voyage”, Biennale di Venezia in Venice (Italy)
• 1993 “Azur”, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Jouy-en-Josas (France)
• 1993 “La Grande Vérité: les Astres Africains”, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes (France)
• 1993 “Grafolies”, Biennale d’Abidjan in Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
• 1992 “A Visage Découvert”, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Jouy-en-Josas (France)
• 1992 “Oh Cet Echo!”, Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris
• 1992 “Out of Africa”, Saatchi Collection in London
• 1992 “L’Art dans la Cuisine”, St. Gallen in Sweden
• 1992 “Resistances”, Watari-Um for Contemporary Art, in Tokyo
• 1991 “Africa Hoy/Africa Now”, the touring exhibition has shown in Centro de Arte Moderno in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), Gröninger Museum in Groningen (Netherlands), Centro de arte Contemporaneo in Mexico City
• 1989 “Magiciens de la Terre”, Centre George Pompidou and Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris
• 1989 “Waaah! Far African Art”, Courtrai in Belgium
• 1986 “L’Afrique e la Lettre”, Centre Culturel Français, Lagos in Nigeria

See also

• Bété alphabet
• Bété languages
• Contemporary African Art
• Culture of Côte d'Ivoire

References

• Bio from the National Museum of African Art
• L'appartement 22 Collection in Rabat and exhibition [1].
• Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, On ne compte pas les étoiles (Editions Bordessoules, 1989). ISBN 2905735120

Galleries

• Kyo Noir - Contemporary African Art Investment
• African Contemporary | Contemporary African Art Gallery
• Frédéric Bruly Bouabré: A childlike world of goodness and colour -

review in The Daily Telegraph 04/09/2007