Neuroscientist Richard Scheller, who recently retired as head of research at Genentech, is a man of many passions. One of them is sub-Saharan African art, and his 120-piece collection will be on exhibit in San Francisco’s de Young Museum starting this Saturday. Scheller joins us to talk about his interest in African art, how the de Young exhibit came about and life after Genentech.
Samples from the Richard H. Scheller Collection
Figure, 19th century, Fang Nitumu, Gabon, Wood
Guests:
Richard Scheller, former vice president of research for Genentech
Soompa (Nigeria, Chamba, active 1920s-1940s) Figure, early 20th century, Wood, pigments
Figure, 20th century, Teke, Republic of the Congo, Wood, textiles, grasses, imported buttons, metal, fiber, and ritual materials
Figure/container, 19th century, Ngangela, Angola, Wood, beads, and fiber
Headdress, early 20th century, Bamana, Mali, Wood, metal, and plastic
Mask, 20th century, Bamum, Cameroon, Wood, cowries, cane, and pigment
Photographs by Robert A. Kato