Peignes d’Afrique de l’Ouest : collection Mina et Samir Borro

This book presents a selection of around one hundred combs from West Africa from the Mina and Samir Borro collection, one of the largest and most beautiful private collections of sub-Saharan African art. This unique collection, consisting of a selection of works rigorously chosen and assembled over more than sixty years, is accompanied by a seminal essay by anthropologist and art historian Alain-Michel Boyer (1949-2025), who here presents his latest work, begun nearly ten years ago, on a rarely explored theme.

In addition to offering valuable insights into the cultures from which these miniature sculptures originate (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria), the book questions the very experience of form: transforming the accessory, these creations, which exalt pure beauty, are treated with an aesthetic concern that elevates body adornment to the rank of fine art.