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Half Figure (Nlo Byeri), Fang, Late 19th-early 20th century
Fang

Half Figure (Nlo Byeri)

Late 19th-early 20th century · Sculpture

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Half Figure (Nlo Byeri)” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked
In this state since
Source
The museum
On the mapMuseum page

About the sculpture

Among the Fang people, figures that serve as guardians of ancestral remains often conflate features of infants and the elderly, combining the wide-eyed stare and rounded arms and hands of a child with the sunken cheeks and drawn mouth of an old man. These visual oppositions infuse a figure with the vitality and animation that are crucial to its ongoing role as an intermediary with the ancestors.

Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0

Details

Accession number
1958.302

What it shows

AncestorsIntermediaryFuneralsProtectorReliquary

In the catalog

SculptureWoodPost-war art20th centuryFangArts of AfricaAfrican ArtCentral AfricaGabon

Sources

More by Fang

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On view at Art Institute of Chicago

Museum page
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On the same theme · Ancestors

All works on the theme
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Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Male Figure, Dogon, Possibly 18th century

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