On the occasion of the 80th birthday of Jean Willy Mestach, Bruneaf and Pierre Bergé & associés have the honour of presenting 111 masterpieces from the world’s greatest collections of tribal art. Acknowledged by his peers as an important forerunner, over the course of the past 50 years Jean Willy Mestach has come to symbolise the archetypical devoted collector. Uncompromisingly dispensing with the conventions of his age by moving away from the most traditional pieces, he favoured more original models, masterpieces of exceptional rarity which were considered at the time as belonging in the margins of the market. To date, over fifty of these pieces have been exhibited around the world but the mystery of "Mestach the African" has never been fully unravelled. This major event will take place from 6 to 29 June 2007, thus coinciding with the International Fair Bruneaf (Brussels No- European Art fair) and the first sales of Non-European art at Pierre Bergé & associés. Brussels, an early cradle of the antiquaria of Non-European art, will be welcoming collectors of Non-European art, as well as enthusiasts and institutions from the world over at the heart of the Grand Sablon district. Among the key objects, there is an extremely rare statuette from the Kela, a Mongo group situated in the central basin of the Congo. It represents a male ancestor and was originally part of a couple, the female figure of which is currently in a major collection in Los Angeles. The object was gathered prior to the Second World War by governor Van Rijswijck. There are only 5 such objects currently in existence (Height: 31 cm). Also on display will be a mask regarded as the finest known Kwese mask. Very few of the older Kwese masks having survived, it is the rarest of objects: it represents an ancestor who has been summoned by the community to honour, by his presence, the essential milestones in an individual’s life, from the initiation rites marking the passage from child to young adult to the funerals of notables. (Dimension: 27 cm.) The Willy Mestach collection, recognised by all of the specialists as one of the most valuable in the world, has remained inaccessible to the public up until now. This exhibition is set to become a unique opportunity to see the collection, a not-to-be missed event for all art lovers who will be in Brussels during the month of June 2007 Practical information: Exhibition: "Mestach the African", from Wednesday 6 June through Friday 29 June 2007 Open every day from 10:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. Admission: 10 € Catalogue: a special publication currently under preparation, will be for sale at the exhibition Pierre Bergé & associés – Salle des Beaux-Arts Place du Grand Sablon 40 - 1000 Brussels