He is considered the »father of modern Senegalese art«: Iba N'Diaye (also Ndiaye, 1928-2008) initially studied architecture in his home town of Saint-Louis before moving to Paris in 1948. He initially continued his architectural studies, but then switched to fine arts. The works of famous artists such as Rembrandt, Goya, Degas, Derain and Bacon influenced his work. Some of their works are shown in the exhibition in context with those of N'Diaye. N'Diaye, who spent most of his life in Paris, developed his own style, inspired by developments in modern art, in which he depicted the realities of life in his homeland. His most important works include the paintings in the Tabaski series: this is the name given in various West African countries to the Feast of Sacrifice, an important Islamic festival that commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's instructions. The Met Museum in New York is now showing Iba Ndiaye: Between Latitude and Longitude, an exhibition on the work of the artist, who is little known beyond the borders of Senegal. The show opens on May 31 and will be on display for a whole year until May 31, 2026.
Even as a young man, Iba N'Diaye occupied a special position in Senegal: when the country became independent from France in 1959, the first president, Léopold Senghor, asked N'Diaye to move to Dakar and found a college of fine arts. The artist successfully implemented the plan and worked there as a teacher for several years. Together with Papa Ibra Tall and Pierre Lods, he also founded the Dakar School art movement, in which stylistic elements of modern European art merged with traditional design elements from Senegal and neighboring countries. N'Diaye and Tall are representative of two convictions that advocated a turn towards or away from European art. In 1970, N'Diaye returned to Paris, where he lived until his death in 2008.
