The art of Alexis Preller (1911 - 1975) is best described by Esmé Berman: “Perhaps the earliest and the best-known Preller theme is that woven out of the mystique of Africa. From his observations of tribal life and ritual, from the inscrutable surviving ruins, fetishes and symbols, from the art of the primeval past, he spun a myth awakening a forgotten tribe and called up visions of its origins and gods.”

Preller’s vast imaginative capacity and his artistic genius were fused into a highly individual style which can not be classified under any of the established art movements of the 20th century. As one of Africa’s leading modern artists, he regarded his objects and style as the metaphors and vehicle he needed to communicate his vision and not as an end in itself. Full Biography