Nigerian Art – The Meneghelli Collection
The specific items on display in this collection and the catalogue are not for sale. Please see our Terms and Conditions.
The pieces on display in this gallery and the catalogue are not for sale individually but we do have similar pieces for sale that do not appear in the catalogue. Please see our Terms and Conditions. This collection, as it appears in the catalogue, is for sale in its entirety – please Contact Us for more information.
The man behind Totem gallery had long dreamt of showing his private collection to the public. Vittorino Meneghelli has over the years built up an amazing collection of African art works representing a vast area of Africa, a major part being from Nigeria. In February 2002 his dream was realised, when The Meneghelli Collection of Nigerian Art was put on show at the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The exhibition comprised of a large number of historical artworks from Nigeria, including those made by ancient cultures and those made by various living cultures. The oldest examples are the terracottas from Nok, which can be considered to be on par with the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome (600BPE-400PE), and represent a culture of some complexity. Sculptures from Igbo Ukwu and Ife, in terracotta and brass, cast in the lost wax process, date between the 10th and 16th centuries PE. These display not only a mastery of complex technical processes, but also, especially in the case of Ife, a court art in which African humanism is very clear.
Time, June 18, 2001 – Endangered Art
The art of Benin can be traced back to the 15th century, and continues to be produced for traditional purposes, as does Yoruba art. In Benin, following the Yoruba Kingdom of Ife, much of this art centres on the person of the Oba (king) and is produced by professional guilds in media such as brass, ivory and wood. Similarly, among the Yoruba, works made in a variety of media are made for kings, but also for deities, their priests and masking societies. The exhibition also includes works from a range of other social and ethnic groups in Nigeria, offering a view of the enormous wealth of their aesthetic achievement. The exhibition was the first of its kind in South Africa and made an important contribution to the processes of the dissemination of knowledge of African cultural achievements.
Dr Omotoso Eluyemi, Vittorio Meneghelli, Prof Olu Obafemi.
The validity of these pieces has been ensured to the full possible extent with modern techniques, such as thermo-luminescent testing as well as copper- and aluminium-composition analysis. This collection was officially certified by the Nigerian Government’s Commissioner for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria, the late Dr Omotoso Eluyemi, and now enjoys the government’s support.
Dr Omotoso Eluyemi, Vittorio Meneghelli, Prof Olu Obafemi, Andrea Meneghelli, Dr A. Edet
After the great success and response to the exhibition, it has now been permanently installed at our head office. It is available for viewing by appointment only. Contact us at our head office on (+27 11) 873-1266, or e-mail us at info@totemgallery.co.za.
Nigerian Art – The Meneghelli Collection is a catalogue exhibiting this collection as well as informative essays on the various Nigerian cultures from some of the foremost scholars in Nigerian art: Paula (Ben Amos) Girshick on Benin culture, Omotoso Eluyemi on Ife, Babatunde Lawal on Yoruba, Herbert Cole on Igbo culture and Anitra Nettleton, Head of History of Art at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Nigerian Art – The Meneghelli Collection
Edited by Prof. Anitra Nettleton
Published by Totem Galleries, 2002, Republic of South Africa
ISBN 1-86838-297-4