The Syrop Collection
Texts by Arnold Syrop
Forward by Susan Kloman
This volume presents Arnold Syrop’s collection of West African bronzes and has the potential of becoming a milestone in the field of African art. Long awaited by collectors, scholars, and enthusiasts, this book illustrates the bronze pieces, most of which have never before been published, collected by Syrop during more than forty years of passionate, attentive, and untiring research.
An architect by profession and a collector by instinct, Arnold Syrop was a pioneer for his interest in this particular area of African material culture, developing what Susan Kloman in her introduction calls “one of the best eyes” in the field of African bronze artifacts.
As remarked by the author/collector in his preface, these bronzes are for the most part “spiritual in nature,” their function being to protect and give strength to their owner.
The over two hundred objects presented in this volume, many of which were made prior to any contact with the West, are enriched by descriptive commentaries in two languages (English/French) that emphasize their uniqueness and their relevance in the world of African art.