Brooklyn, New York
In the 1970s Eric Edwards, a Brooklyn native, acquired his first piece of African art, a statute of a Bambara maternity female from Mail for $300. The purchase created a passionate love for African art (he likes to refer to the art as African artifacts because they were utilized as implements of daily life) that only continued to escalate into a obsession for acquiring one-of-kind exquisite African artifacts for his expanding collection. Over the past 40 years, Eric has amassed one of the largest collections of African artifacts owned by a private collection in the U.S. As an active member of two exclusive audio societies, Eric discovered from the members (who were doctors and engineers) that a “true” African art lover could acquire important African artifacts from auction houses such as Christies, Sotheby’s, private collections and dealers. During the 1980s and 1990s, his research and purchases of antique artifacts escalated to a point where he started selling off parts of his cameras, electronics, antique clocks and his autographed collection to raise money to invest in museum quality African artifacts. Over the years, Eric has amassed over 1,500 objects that are housed in a loft, more than 5,000 square feet, in Brooklyn. The collection includes masks, statues and other artifacts such as garments, jewelry, weapons and household items used in African villages.
October 2013
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).” Eric is also a proud owner of terracotta artifacts made by the personal sculptor of Jomo Kenyetta, the first president of a newly-independent Kenya. Kenyatta is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation. Eric credits his father with teaching him about African’s undisputable contributions to mankind, which empowered him with a strong sense of self-respect and a dignity that gave him a sense of real equality. “My mother taught my brother, sister and me that we were never better than anyone else,” he said. “Whereas, my father taught us that certainly no one was better than us.” Eric grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant and attended Brooklyn Technical High School. Because he graduated at the top of his class at Brooklyn Technical High School, his name is inscribed in bronze in the “Hall of Honors” there. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the City University of New York (CCNY) and went on to work as a successful network designer at AT&T. He followed that success by working in technology sales for US Robotics and as a 3Com District Manager.
“The artifacts are an inspiration, and a link to my past heritage, as well as the heritage of mankind. I believe that art brings people of all races and ethnicities together, just as music does,” said Eric. “I love African artifacts because they are so beautiful, three dimensional, and intriguing, as well as they are a window into history. They are also a teaching tool about culture and life itself. The artifacts teach the respect for the ancestors, religion and worship of the family.” According to Eric, one of the artifacts that continues to amaze people and that everyone marvels over is the Baule slave set from the Ivory Coast that features an overseer holding an African woman in chains. “I acquired this piece in the early 1970s and it still incites and excites people to this day because of the provocative conversation it ignites and its testament to history,” said Eric. He also discussed as indescribable the feelings he had in 1984 when he purchased his first pair of golden sandals that belonged to an Ashanti (Ghana) King. “I still have never seen any finer,” Eric said. “Many of my artifacts represent secret societies, such as the Mende, Temne, Bassa, helmets of the Sande/Bundu societies of Sierra Leone and Liberia. I have royal power symbols from the chiefs of Nigeria and other countries. I also have an artifact from the collection of the former President of Uganda, Idi Amin and a brass engraved stool given as a gift to a Cameroonian King,” said Eric. “I have an artifact from the collection of former President Mobutu Sese Seko of the
4 COLONIAL SLAVE WOMAN AND OVERSEER Baole (Baule) People Ivory Coast This African artifact represents the colonial period and is a thoughtprovoking artifact illustrating the history of the slave trade. 7