From Art Nègre to Art Primitif

This chapter explores Paul Guillaume's unexpected decision in 1930 to sell his renowned African sculpture collection, an announcement that initially went unnoticed until major Parisian newspapers reported it in the fall. Guillaume, once celebrated as a pioneering promoter of art nègre, framed the sale as the natural end of a revolutionary mission. It explains that the sale never occurred, as Guillaume instead placed the 1,500 objects into storage, possibly due to emotional ties, his wife's preferences, or fears of devaluing the market amid economic instability and rival auctions. The chapter details that Guillaume's withdrawal from art nègre marked a deliberate shift toward promoting ancient Asian art, a venture that proved far less influential. It attributes Guillaume's retreat not to politics or personal whim but to evolving aesthetic trends, the rise of ethnology, and surrealism's dominance, all of which redefined the category of art nègre into art primitif.