Kre M'Baye

Kre M’Baye, also known as Amadou (or Armedy) Kre M’Baye, is a Senegalese artist and art instructor. He was born Andy Keve in Dakar, Senegal on April 25th, 1949. He was nicknamed “Kere” or “Kre” even as a primary school child because he used to draw constantly on the classroom blackboard with chalk. Since 1969 he has been an associate of celebrated African artists such as Ibou Diouf, Mamadou Niang, Seidou Barry, Mor Faye (father of Ousmane Faye) and Art College professor Pierre Lodz. He was self-trained in the workshop of Peter Plastics Research Lods.

In 1974 he played the head of a gang in the well-received movie "Baks (Yamba)" [ [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.africine.org/%3Fmenu%3Dfilm%26no%3D6942&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=9&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbaks%2BYamba%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DtEJ Africine Website] ] , produced by Momar Thiam, but abandoned his acting career in favor of his career as an artist. His first exhibition in 1976 at the Dynamique Museum of Dakar was highly acclaimed, his painting “The Messenger” receiving particular praise by President L.S. Senghor.

Some of his best-known works are his portraits of women inspired by the face of his mother Fari Fate (Mame Fari) [ [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/11/EBG2AFIHKH1.DTL San Francisco Chronicle "Emeryville: Gallery Gives Rare Spotlight to West African Art" by Rick DelVecchio, San Francisco Chronicle Nov. 11th, 2005] ] , “a woman griot of great renown; a fascinating storyteller of Senegalese history”. Very stylish, full of exuberance and cheerfulness, Fari Fate with her jewelries, her meticulous dresses, her elaborate hairstyles, inspired to the artist a painting style full of fineness. M'Baye has another style that tends to abstract paintings dominated by blue and orange colors.

M'Baye is a disciple of Pierre Lods and was self-trained in the workshop of Peter Plastics Research Lods [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0438/is_3_35/ai_98171011/pg_19 "The Ecole de Dakar: Pan-Africanism in Paint and Textile by Elizabeth Harney (Autumn 2002) African Arts] ] . In 1994 Gaston Madeira formed "Netty Guy" (The Three Baobabs), bringing together Kré M'Baye, Moussa N'Diaye Baydie M'Baye and Zulu, three painters representative of the School of Arts in Dakar, who in 1998 opened a gallery on the Senegalese island of N'gor and founded Workshops N'gor [ [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.takusaan.com/pages/neoCrea/art-ngor-present.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dkre%2Bmbaye%26start%3D30%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26pwst%3D1 Takusaan Website] ] . He was a participant in Tenq, the first workshop on the Triangle model (led by El Hadji Sy and sponsored by CBAO, Maersk, SAEC and the British Council, Dakar) held in West Africa, which took place at the Lycée Cheikh Oumar Fontiyou in Saint Louis, Senegal; the first event of Africa95, a year-long festival celebrating African arts in the UK and Africa, featuring 25 artists from 10 African countries and Britain [ [http://www.trianglearts.org/detail.php?id=33&more=yes Triangle Arts Trust Website] ] .

His brother Seni M’Baye is also a noted Senegalese artist.

Exhibitions

* 1976 First exhibit to the 4th Senegalese painters and visual arts show at the Dynamique Museum of Dakar.

* 1983 New Expressions at Lorient in France

* 1985 French Cultural Center in Dakar
* 1985 IFA Gallery in Bonn, Germany

* 1987 Senegalese painters & visual artists exhibit – received Prize of the Head of State
* 1987 Stadfische Gallery in Wendlinger in Germany

* 1988 American Cultural Center of Dakar at the National Gallery – Kre’s "Totem du Silence" was the only painting selected to be put to auction

* 1990 Le’Arche de la Defense in Paris, France

* 1995 Cape Verde’ Islands – several traveling exhibitions

* 1996 Contemporary Art Exhibition of Dammarie-Les-Lys in France – won the City Prize
* 1996 Selected to the Dak’Art 1996 Biennale [ [Program of the event - Dak'Art: Biennial africain de l'art contemporain, Editions Cimaise, Paris, 1996] ]

* 1998 Mil Arte, 98 Mill Lane (West Hampstead) London, England April - May

* 1999 Kenkeleba Gallery in New York City, U.S.A.
* Since 1999, Permanent exposition at the Antenna Gallery, Félix Faure street in Dakar

* 2002 Arts Plastiques Exposition: Dakar - Dakart at Aude Minart in Paris, France April 30th - May 5th [ [http://www.africultures.com/index.asp?menu=affiche_evenement&no_evenement=374 Africultures Website []

* 2005 April 1st - 14th National Gallery of Art - Sponsored by the American Cultural Center, Museum of African Art in Washington. Three exhibitions of artists: Souleye Keita, Jacob Yacouba, and Amadou Kré M'Baye
* 2005 St. Marks Church, New York City, U.S.A. Participated in Plexus International's presentation "Erosions and Renaissance, Act IV" 12/10/05

* 2006 Senegalese Contemporary Art Exhibit: The Jokko Bar-Expo - 5 Rue Elzévir Paris, France (June - July)

* 2007 Fine Arts Exhibition at Marcel Rozier's gallery in Bois-le-Roi from May 12th - 20th

* 2008 Black Visibility: Contemporary African Art Exhibit March 19th - April 5th at the Conservatoire des Arts, 1, parvis sources 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Saint-Quentin-en Yvelines

Awards

* 1987 Prize of the Head of State of Senegal
* 1996 City Prize of Dammarie-Les-Lys, France
* 1999 Awarded L’Ordre National du Lion by Abdou Diouf, President of the Republic of Senegal

References

* "An Anthology of African Art: The Twentieth Century" by N’Gone’ Fall & Jean Loup Pivin (June 2nd, 2002) D.A.P./Editions Revue Noire ISBN 1891024388, ISBN 978-1891024382
* "The Courier: Africa-Caribbean-Pacific-European Union" (1991) Published by Commission of the European Communities (Original from the University of Virginia)
* "The Ecole de Dakar: Pan-Africanism in Paint and Textile" by Elizabeth Harney (Autumn 2002) African Arts
* "El Arte Africano Contemporaneo Existe" by Jean-Arsène Yao [http://latinamericalandya.blogspot.com/2008/06/el-arte-africano-contemporneo-existe.html Latinamericalandya Website]
* "Emeryville: Gallery Gives Rare Spotlight to West African Art" by Rick DelVecchio, San Francisco Chronicle Nov. 11th, 2005 [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/11/EBG2AFIHKH1.DTL San Francisco Chronicle]
* "In Senghor's Shadow: Art, Politics, and the Avant-Garde in Senegal, 1960-1995" by Elizabeth Harney (2004) Duke University Press, 2004 ISBN 0822333953, ISBN 9780822333951
* "La Presse" (Tunisia) October 30th, 1974
* "St. James Guide to Black Artists" by Thomas Riggs (1997) St. James Press (Original from the University of Michigan) ISBN 1558622209, ISBN 9781558622203
* "Thinking About Exhibitions" by Reesa Greenberg, Bruce W. Ferguson & Sandy Naime (May 13th, 1996) Routledge ISBN 0415115906, ISBN 978-0415115902
* "Trajectoires: Art Contemporain du Senegal" by Joanna Grabski (Spring, 2008) African Arts

External link

* http://www.krembaye.com/biographie2.htm