ABOUT US
Vittorino Meneghelli with his companion, Tito
Totem Meneghelli Gallery was established in 1968. Vittorino Meneghelli opened the first Totem Gallery in Jeppe Street, Johannesburg. At present you will find us at Sandton City and our head office and stock room in Germiston. The love of art and friends has always been a guiding star for Vittorino, he has been an avid mentor and supporter of up and coming artists since his early years in Italy, where he co-founded the Fronte Nuovo art movement, to his years in South Africa, including the patronage of the Amadlozi artists.
This passion for African art has been the driving force in Vittorino’s life, bringing him to South Africa from his home town in Mirano, Italy. Over the years he has made almost eighty trips into Africa, many of which were with his son, Andrea, who is involved in a consulting capacity at Totem. West Africa has been the area travelled most. He has collected a vast personal collection, and has stocked his galleries with high quality, authentic African art – many bought from the tribes themselves and others bought through his vast array of trusted merchant friends from the cities.
Through the years Totem has built up a highly professional team; our staff has many years of experience, some having been involved for over 35 years. We equipped our own workshop where we manufacture stands for our objects. We also offer a professional crating facility, and have had a long relationship with reliable, accredited shipping companies. Our gallery managers are knowledgeable in this field and complete this small team of dedicated workers and lovers of art that make up Totem Galleries.
What is a genuine artifact?
Extract from: The Tribal Arts of Africa, Jean-Baptiste Bacquart (1998), Thames and Hudson
Defining a ‘genuine’ tribal art object is a complex process. Technically, the term means all objects created by African artists, but Western scholars and collectors have applied a more restrictive definition that depends on the how an object was used. Thus a genuine African artefact must have been made by an African artist, and also must have been used during tribal ceremonies. This concept excludes most of the modern creations of African art, including objects manufactured for the tourist trade.
African tribal art is not just about aesthetics, it is initially about meaning and function. African objects were almost never created as ‘art for art’s sake’, rather these objects always related to magical or social rites – to the supernatural world – and were rarely produced by a single individual. Before the making of many artefacts, there was a long, controlled process including the collaboration between the ‘commissioner’, the village diviner and the sculptor.
This passion for African art has been the driving force in Vittorino’s life, bringing him to South Africa from his home town in Mirano, Italy. Over the years he has made almost eighty trips into Africa, many of which were with his son, Andrea, who is involved in a consulting capacity at Totem. West Africa has been the area travelled most. He has collected a vast personal collection, and has stocked his galleries with high quality, authentic African art – many bought from the tribes themselves and others bought through his vast array of trusted merchant friends from the cities.
Through the years Totem has built up a highly professional team; our staff has many years of experience, some having been involved for over 35 years. We equipped our own workshop where we manufacture stands for our objects. We also offer a professional crating facility, and have had a long relationship with reliable, accredited shipping companies. Our gallery managers are knowledgeable in this field and complete this small team of dedicated workers and lovers of art that make up Totem Galleries.
What is a genuine artifact?
Extract from: The Tribal Arts of Africa, Jean-Baptiste Bacquart (1998), Thames and Hudson
Defining a ‘genuine’ tribal art object is a complex process. Technically, the term means all objects created by African artists, but Western scholars and collectors have applied a more restrictive definition that depends on the how an object was used. Thus a genuine African artefact must have been made by an African artist, and also must have been used during tribal ceremonies. This concept excludes most of the modern creations of African art, including objects manufactured for the tourist trade.
African tribal art is not just about aesthetics, it is initially about meaning and function. African objects were almost never created as ‘art for art’s sake’, rather these objects always related to magical or social rites – to the supernatural world – and were rarely produced by a single individual. Before the making of many artefacts, there was a long, controlled process including the collaboration between the ‘commissioner’, the village diviner and the sculptor.
Agbeni Shrine in Ibadan
