Charles Alphonse Combes. African Head.

Important African head sculpted in direct carving by Charles Combes. Unsigned. Biography: French painter, sculptor and writer. Born in Paris and died in Côte d'Ivoire, he adopted Ivorian nationality upon the country's independence. In 1937 he opened a private applied art workshop and then taught at the National School of Applied Arts in Bingerville. In 1975 his former artist's studio became the Charles Combes museum. Provenance: private collection of Madame X purchased in Ivory Coast directly from the artist.