In Dialogue: Funerary Figures and Remembering the Living with Jean-Philippe Beaulieu
Early 20th-century photographs of the Menil’s uli figure from the archives of the Museum Fünf Kontinente, Munich, Germany. Photograph by J.P. Beaulieu
Memorial Figure (Uli), late 19th–mid 20th century. Madak or neighboring peoples. Wood, lime plaster, shells and fiber, 51 ½ x 13 x 11 ½ in. (130.8 x 33 x 29.2 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston.
About the speakers:
Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, Ph.D., is a Research Director for the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique at the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris and the endowed David Warren Chair of Astrophysics at the University of Tasmania. A highly accomplished astrophysicst by day, Beaulieu is also a dedicated historian and ethnologist. He is currently finishing his monographic study of uli figures from Central New Ireland. The book will be offered in English, and include a large number of previously unpublished archival photographs and documents.
Paul R. Davis, Ph.D., is Curator of Collections at the Menil Collection and oversees the museum’s holdings of art from Africa, Pacific Islands, the Americas, the ancient world, medieval and early modern Europe. His research focuses on the visual cultures of West Africa between the 18th and 21st centuries. His recent exhibition projects include ReCollecting Dogon, February 3–July 9, 2017, Mapa Wiya: Your Map’s Not Needed, September 13, 2019–February 2, 2020, as well as installations of permanent collection galleries for the reopening of the Menil in September 2018.
About the series:
In Dialogue is the Menil Collection’s series of live, online conversations. Menil curators are joined by notable scholars, artists, and art professionals for engaging discussions about the museum’s collection, current exhibitions, and ideas shaping contemporary discourses about art.
As always, all programs are free and open to everyone.