LUBA, Democratic Republic of Congo. Wood, natural pigments. Kifwebe' masquerades played an important role in community ceremonies, particularly initiations, the death of chiefs and new moon rites. The Kifwebe mask functioned as a regulatory body, imposing obedience to the royal hierarchies. Although it embodies extraordinary beings imbued with human, animal and spiritual attributes, it is represented here in abstract human form. Its design also echoes its function, evoking the lunar star and danced during rituals celebrating the appearance of the new moon. The mask is perfectly circular in shape, with a flattened face and a surface covered with finely executed concentric striations that radiate out from the face. This high-quality mask, with its very strong aesthetic, its unstructured approach to the human face and its symbolic power, explains the explosion of African art, namely the encounter between artists of the early twentieth century and African art. From Derain to Picasso, from Braque to Calder in his work 'Moonlight in a gust of wind'. 30x30x13 cm. (small chips).