The Fondation Blachère presents the exhibition "Bandiagara: au commencement de la collection Blachère" at the Centre d'art de la Gare de Bonnieux, an event not to be missed.
The title is not misleading. This is a space dedicated to memory and wonder, offering a sensitive exploration of the context in which the viewer is invited to immerse himself. An immobile journey in the company of 20 artists, a collector and his collection. In 2001, facing the cliffs of Bandiagara in the Dogon Country (Mali), Jean-Paul Blachère developed a deep interest in Africa. This interest developed into a commitment to African art, culminating in the creation in 2003 of a corporate foundation dedicated to promoting and supporting artists from the continent.
Bandiagara, one of Africa's most emblematic geomorphological sites, is a sandstone cliff carved into a rock shelter stretching for 200 kilometers, home to a continuous line of Dogon villages. It was here that Jean-Paul Blachère, amazed by the combined art of natural landscape and architecture, met Dogon artist Amahiguéré Dolo, who introduced him to Dogon art and cosmogony.
In 2024, the Foundation celebrates the 20th anniversary of its art center with the "Bandiagara" exhibition. It features emblematic pieces from the early days of the Blachère collection, highlighting the work of 20 artists, now major figures on the art scene, whose output over the past two decades marks a transition from traditional art to a contemporary approach in sub-Saharan West Africa.
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