On Wednesday, October 22nd, 1997 Lorenzelli Arte will be inaugurating at the same time two exhibitions of African art, the first set up by Aldo Tagliaferri, "Miniature Masks from West Africa" has brought together numerous masks, of which about 300 are miniature and 15 are large. The second, entitled "Wild Peoples and Living Barbarians" concentrates on terra-cotta sculptures from West Africa with about 50 works of an almost unknown civilization which, however, reaches levels of extremely high artistic value. Those of smaller dimensions (from about 6 to 29 cm.) are called "miniature masks". They are produced and used by many populations of Liberia and of two neighbouring countries, The Ivory Coast and Guinea. Most of the miniature masks are wooden sculptures, though one can also find them in bronze, terra-cotta, steatite and other types of minerals. … Although they reflect a belief in the vital force associated with the spirits of the forest with which the mask, in the cultural context we are dealing with, allows one to communicate, these miniature masks differ from the larger ones in that they not used in any dance and are not possessed by the community but by the persons who keep them, usually jealously hidden in a pocket or in a cloth or raffia case, like private objects endowed with the power to protect the proprietor. … In spite of their small size, in proportion to their specific uses, these micro masks can be very attractive in form, and duplicate the stylistic and technical characteristics in the assembling of the much larger masks used in the course of collective ceremonies.… (Aldo Tagliaferri). Thanks to the particular attention with which this exhibition was set up and to the generous collaboration of the collectors, it will be possible to observe, for the first time in Italy, a vast panorama of this kind of masks, with the possibility of making direct comparisons with considerably heterogeneous plastic and decorative paradigms. The catalogue prepared by Aldo Tagliaferri, edited by Skira, with Italian and English texts, completed with bibliographical material and 50 black and white photos is available in the gallery. On view in the adjoining room are 40 sculptures from the Bankoni and Djenné (Mali) culture and about 10 grey terra-cotta heads, coming from Akan, Ghana, in West Africa. From these localities we receive archaeological findings which date back to 1100 and 1500 A.D. with a plasticity and elegance which are in no way inferior to those of Western cultures. These sculptures have never been publicized and this is the first time they have been exhibited. The catalogue, edited by Skira, is available in the gallery. The exhibition will remain open to the public until the end of December.