The Fondation Liyolo by FondationLiyolo

Alfred LIYOLO LIMBE M’PUANGA

1943 - 2019

THE LINK BINDING THE EMPEROR AND THE AFRICAN SCULPTOR

THE INCREDIBLE INSPIRATION OF TRADITION

Extrait du journal japonais ”MAINICHI SHIMBUN” publié le 6 Octobre 1989 ; Edition du Soir. Traduit du Japonais par Mizu LANI, 18/11/2013

La

Musicienne, 1976

WHO IS MAÎTRE LIYOLO ?

Audacious and passionate, Alfred Liyolo Limbe Mpuanga, was a sculptor and visual artist. A true monument to Congolese culture, both at home and abroad.

Better known as Maître Liyolo, he stands out for his quest for excellence. Grandson of an ivory carver, Alfred Liyolo was born in 1943 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Early

Passion for Art: Art has been his passion since childhood.

This passion enabled him to obtain a scholarship to study in Austria. He left the country in 1963, to further his skills in Graz - Austria, following a training he had begun 5 years earlier (1958) at the Institute of ﬁne arts in Kinshasa.

“My friends laughed at me due to the fact that I had left the Congo to study “Bikeko“ or “sculpture“ (lingala) in Europe“, he reminisced.

Being a “black” person in the context of the time, you had to stand out for your know-how and artistic ﬂair.

Mastering His Craft:

Alfred Liyolo knew how to do it. He joined the “Masters class“ under the aegis of the sculptor Wander Bertoni and came out top of his class.

Throughout his European stay, he won numerous prizes.

Despite this success, Maître Liyolo has his heart set on serving his country.

Returning home:

In 1969, he returned to his homeland.

It was as a professor at the academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa, that Liyolo returned to the Congo to share his experience.

In 1982, he was appointed General Director of this prestigious Art School in Kinshasa.

At the head of this institution, Liyolo brought it into the modern era.

Bronze Sculpture Innovator:

He introduced contemporary techniques of bronze sculpture and trained numerous students in various artistic disciplines.

For Liyolo, talent had no gender and he was the ﬁrst General Director of the Academy of Fine Arts to allow female candidates to apply for the entrance examination.

Liyoloʼs reputation helped his institutionʼs diplomas to be internationally recognized and made it easier for his students to continue their training abroad.

Legacy and Challenges:

Although the looting of the late nineties in the DRC destroyed his workshops and his home, he never gave up.

After a period of forced exile due to the loss of his working tools, he decided to return to his country to resume his nonending ﬁght for the place of Congolese culture and arts in the world.

Alfred Liyoloʼs journey exempliﬁes talent, resilience, and dedication to preserving Congolese artistic heritage.

La Danseuse Affolée, 1987

AMBASSADOR OF CONGOLESE CULTURE

As a true cultural ambassador for Zaire at the time, Liyolo travelled the world.

His achievements enabled him to exhibit in the worldʼs major cities.

Between 1973 and 2002, Alfred Liyolo exhibited in the worldʼs most prestigious and worldʼs best-known galleries, including Paris (Louvre), Nice, Tokyo, Sevilla (1992 Universal Exhibition), New York (Art expo 93), Vienna, Lisbon (Universal Exhibition 1998), Beijing, Brussels (2002), Dakar (Senegal).

Liyolo took part in most international biennales.

His stay in Japan culminated with a private meeting with the Japanese Imperial couple, Emperor Akihito and Empress Mishiko, in Tokyo in 1989.

A rare honour for an African and a Congolese artist above all.

In 2013, he was appointed Professor Emeritus by ministerial decree.

In 2014, he was awarded the Prize for Best Cultural Contributions and Cultural Exchanges of the Peopleʼs Republic of China.

He was made Commander of the Lumumba and Kabila National Orders in December 2015 by the Congolese government.

He remains the only artist to have been awarded this honorary distinction under both presidents Mobutu and Kabila.

Liyolo is the creator of many famous sites in Kinshasa such as the « Place des Artistes », in Matonge, as well as the monument to Franco Luambo.

His major monuments, from 1970 to this day, can be found throughout the city of Kinshasa, including « Le Mariage Coutumier » (Traditional wedding) at the Théâtre de verdure, his very ﬁrst monument (1970); « Les Messagers » (the Messengers) on the RTNC esplanade (The national radio and television) and « Le Bouclier de la Révolution » on Mont Ngaliema, among many others.

One of his latest monument is the 4.50 m high « Lumumba» in the gardens of the primature (Prime Minisiterʼs Oﬃce) in Kinshasa.

While admiring the works of Maitre Liyolo, you enter into a profound meditation.

Liyolo is a visionary; he transforms bronze into a living reality.

His originality lies in the traditional yet contemporary nature of its art, bringing together a number of sculptures in a pure, streamlined style.

He is at one with bronze and his love for the material shines through in his work.

THE WORK OF A SIXTY YEARS CAREER SPAN LIYOLO

Turning sixty is already an event in the life of an African.

But to live sixty years of passion and love for his art, is an exceptional achievement, especially when that passion and knowledge are passed on to future generations.

Liyolo sadly passed away on April, 1st 2019 in Vienna, Austria.

Mère et Enfant, 1989

WHY SUPPORT THE LIYOLO FOUNDATION

As Visionaries, the Fondation Liyolo was created in Liyoloʼs lifetime by him and his wife, Friederike.

Even then, they understood the importance of preserving this he ritage for posterity and its cultural heritage for future generations.

The Liyolo Fondation works to preserve Liyoloʼs achievements but also to ensure that the story of this extraordinary artist is not fo rgotten.

He indeed opened the doors of Congolese plastic art to the whol e world. Before his daring and incredible career, no Congolese had ever exhibited abroad.

Only ancient art was exhibited in museums or specialised galler ies.

Contemporary art never found its way into galleries or other exhibition platforms.

Supporting the Liyolo Fondation means helping the preservation of this unique heritage, but it also means supporting a process of pass ing on of Liyoloʼs knowledge through his art, through training courses and specific study programmes for the new artists of the DRC.