Nagbo Coulibaly
Kule carver, c. 1941–2011, photo: 1987
Dembasso, Côte d'Ivoire
Nagbo Coulibaly, known as Tenan, worked as a carver in Kouto until 1991. He was the son of the carver Tchésé Coulibaly and grandson of Koukouho Coulibaly. He was trained as a carver by an uncle on his mother‘s side, Pélétiélé Koné, who died in 2002 in Kolia. In an interview taken in 1993 Nagbo Coulibaly explained the difference between their carving styles:
“My father, Tchésé Coulibaly, gave me as an apprentice to the carver Pélétiélé Koné in Kolia. We travelled to Niempurgué (75 kilometers south of Kouto) where I worked as his apprentice for three years. When Pélétiélé Koné made wooden carvings I watched him and carved the same. Therefore my wood carvings are different than those of my father and grandfather.”
Nagbo Coulibaly’s carving style differs from that of his father and grandfather in that his figures are less abstract and angular and lack the exaggerated jaw. A feature to note is that he uses color to highlight details and colors the protruding tongue.
Tchésé Coulibaly betrachtet eine Schnitzarbeit seines Sohnes Nagbo Coulibaly. Photo: Karl-Heinz Krieg, Kouto (Côte d’Ivoire), 1988
Tchésé Coulibaly betrachtet eine Schnitzarbeit seines Sohnes Nagbo Coulibaly. Photo: Karl-Heinz Krieg, Kouto (Côte d’Ivoire), 1988
Objects by Nabgo Coulibaly
Nagbo Coulibaly
erworben 1977 in Kouto
geschnitzt ca. 1960
Holz, H. 23 cm
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Private notes taken in the field, Karl-Heinz Krieg
Text: Helen Krieg and Daniel Mato, PhD