Exposition d’Art Congolais (1958–1959) Original Gouache Maquette – Period of the Liberation of the Congo

Original gouache maquette on Arches watercolor paper dating from the period of the liberation of the Congo. The composition shows a large thatched exhibition pavilion decorated with geometric and animal motifs—birds, frogs, lizards, horse head, and abstract symbols—combining European design elements with Central African imagery. At upper left appears the title Exposition d’Art Congolais.

Two carved poles stand at the sides of the structure, one bearing the French tricolor and the other the blue-striped Congolese flag used only between 1958 and 1959. The inclusion of this short-lived flag securely dates the maquette to the transitional moment just before independence. The background features tropical vegetation and palm trees indicating a Congolese setting.

The work was likely created as a poster or exhibition design proposal for a presentation of Congolese art organized in France or Belgium during this period of transition. No printed version has been located.

Details

Artist: Unsigned (European-trained exhibition designer, 1958–1959)

Title: Exposition d’Art Congolais – Period of the Liberation of the Congo

Medium: Gouache on Arches watercolor paper

Date: 1958–1959

Country: Congo / France

Dimensions: 18 × 25.5 in / 46 × 65 cm

Condition: Very Good – minor handling and light center fold consistent with age

Provenance: Private collection

Category: Original Artwork / Poster Maquette

Comments

Unique hand-painted maquette from the period of the liberation of the Congo, identified by the 1958–59 transitional flag. Represents the intersection of Congolese cultural imagery and European exhibition design at the end of the colonial period. No printed poster version is known.