The unique art collection Légende by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré is an exceptional series of 50 original drawings (13 x 17 cm each) that exemplifies the artist’s signature style—naïve yet deeply symbolic, colorful, and meticulously structured. Created on repurposed cardboard, each work is rendered in ballpoint pen and colored pencil, adhering to Bouabré’s characteristic visual language. The collection forms a cohesive narrative, recounting the allegorical tale of two brothers and the eternal battle between truth and lies. Every drawing is hand-signed on the reverse side and numbered from 1 to 50, ensuring that the sequence is read in the correct order, reinforcing Bouabré’s storytelling intent. This structured approach not only enhances the narrative depth of the series but also reflects his broader mission of using art as a vehicle for knowledge transmission. Légende stands as a testament to Bouabré’s ability to merge art, philosophy, and mythology into a singular, compelling body of work, solidifying his legacy as both a visual artist and a cultural historian.

This collection of thirty drawings unfolds as a vivid visual epic by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, narrating the mythic journey of Lekagnon — a tale of birth, initiation, and return deeply rooted in Bété oral tradition. Executed in Bouabré’s unmistakable style, each small card combines a hand-colored, line-drawn image with surrounding text that frames the story like both caption and incantation. The sequence begins with scenes of gestation and birth, evoking the cosmic and human origins of life, then moves through depictions of everyday customs, forest hunts, spiritual encounters, and moral trials. Along the way, Lekagnon confronts the unknown — from dense wilderness to horned hybrid beings — before emerging transformed and reconciled with his ancestral home. The series captures Bouabré’s unique synthesis of ethnography, philosophy, and storytelling, where the intimate and the universal coexist. With their naïve formalism, luminous colors, and rhythmic script, these drawings transform an oral legend into a timeless written-visual archive of memory and moral reflection.

The piece is titled “Écriture Apogée de l’Humanité” (“Writing: The Apex of Humanity”), dated 16 July 1988 (“Au jour ensoleillé du 16.7.1988”). It forms part of Bouabré’s larger lifelong project, in which he sought to translate universal human knowledge, morality, and spirituality into a visual written language. His works often combine a simple, direct drawing with text carefully framed around the edges—both poetic and documentary in tone. In this image, Bouabré depicts a seated, semi-nude figure holding a yellow tablet or scroll inscribed with mysterious marks—symbols of learning, communication, or revelation. Around the figure float colorful signs, geometric forms, and small motifs (birds, stars, tools, the sun, crosses), representing the diversity of human knowledge and the unity of all creation. The inscription along the border — “Des dessins et des traits des signes” (“Drawings, lines, and signs”) — points to Bouabré’s belief that writing and drawing are the highest forms of human expression, bridges between divine inspiration and earthly understanding. This drawing exemplifies his signature approach: a synthesis of ethnography, mysticism, and humanism. Created after his invention of a Bété syllabary (an alphabet of over 400 signs to record his people’s language), the piece expresses his lifelong quest to make knowledge accessible to all humanity.

The Mono Works is a rare and atypical collection of 50 original drawings by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré that stands apart from the artist’s more familiar, color-rich compositions. Each work in the series measures approximately 13 x 17 cm and retains the unmistakable visual language for which Bouabré is celebrated—naïve linework, symbolic central imagery, and framed inscriptions that merge text and drawing into a unified narrative device. However, unlike the majority of Bouabré’s output, these pieces are executed exclusively in black pen, foregoing the colored pencil accents that typically animate his universe. This monochromatic approach—clearly evidenced in the piece dated 12 June 1988 and titled La Lance du Diable à Trois Pointes ou un Trident—adds a graphic starkness and conceptual weight to the series, heightening its symbolic power while inviting new readings of Bouabré’s spiritual and philosophical themes. Professionally referred to as The Mono Works, though alternately titled The Pen Series or Bruly in Black in early notes, this body of work offers collectors and institutions a rare glimpse into the artist’s minimalist aesthetic. The absence of color shifts the focus to form, language, and symbolism, reinforcing Bouabré’s underlying commitment to communication and knowledge transmission over mere visual ornamentation. As with his more iconic pieces, each drawing in the series is executed on found cardboard and hand-signed, emphasizing the democratic and accessible nature of his materials. This series presents an exceptional opportunity to engage with Bouabré’s work through a different visual lens—stripped down, direct, and deeply resonant.

The Vinyl Suite is an extraordinary curated collection of 60 original drawings by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, offering a rare glimpse into a unique aspect of the artist’s practice. Unlike his well-known postcard-format artworks, this collection showcases pieces that are approximately twice the size, measuring around 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches). These works were created on the backs of record covers, reflecting Bouabré’s characteristic use of “found” cardboard as his canvas. While the use of repurposed materials was not uncommon in his oeuvre, the larger format of these drawings provides an expanded view of Bouabré’s intricate style and symbolic narratives, amplifying their visual and emotional impact. One of the defining features of The Vinyl Suite is the artist’s decision to sign these works on the front, a departure from his usual practice of signing smaller pieces (11 x 15 cm or 4.3 x 5.9 inches) on the back. This front-facing signature lends a distinctive sense of immediacy and importance to these drawings, highlighting them as significant departures from his more commonly seen format. However, in terms of style and technique, these works remain consistent with Bouabré’s iconic visual language, characterized by meticulously rendered ballpoint pen and colored pencil drawings, often accompanied by explanatory text. Each piece brims with Bouabré’s signature blend of cultural symbolism, spiritual inquiry, and universal themes. Works of this size and format by Bouabré rarely enter the art market, making The Vinyl Suite a particularly exceptional collection. While smaller pieces have fetched record amounts at auctions, including at Sotheby’s New York, these larger works are even more scarce, offering collectors and scholars a rare opportunity to engage with a broader and more impactful interpretation of Bouabré’s artistic vision. The unique provenance and context of these drawings—crafted on the backs of record covers—further emphasize Bouabré’s resourcefulness and his ability to transform everyday materials into profound works of art. The collection stands as a testament to his enduring legacy and the universal resonance of his creations.

Vision Solaire is a pivotal work in Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s artistic and philosophical journey, marking the moment of his profound spiritual awakening in 1948. Bouabré described this experience as a divine revelation, during which he witnessed the sun transforming into seven distinct colors, an event that profoundly shaped his worldview and artistic output. This vision led him to dedicate his life to the pursuit of knowledge and the documentation of universal truths through art. Vision Solaire not only signifies his personal enlightenment but also serves as a metaphor for his broader mission: illuminating human understanding through symbols, color, and storytelling. This revelation became the foundation of his vast body of work, influencing both his intricate, text-accompanied drawings and his creation of the Bété syllabary, a writing system designed to preserve his people’s linguistic heritage. Vision Solaire encapsulates Bouabré’s belief in the interconnectedness of humanity and the role of art as a medium for transcendent knowledge, cementing his legacy as both a visionary artist and a cultural archivist.

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s Bété syllabary is one of his most profound contributions to the preservation and dissemination of cultural knowledge. Designed as a writing system for the Bété language, which had traditionally been transmitted orally, Bouabré’s syllabary consists of over 400 pictograms, each representing a syllabic sound. Inspired by his deep commitment to safeguarding his people’s heritage, Bouabré meticulously developed this alphabet as a tool to document oral traditions, ensuring that the linguistic and cultural identity of the Bété people could endure beyond the pressures of modernization and colonial influence. His pictograms are visually striking, often resembling his artistic style, where simple yet evocative symbols encode meaning in an accessible way. While the Bété syllabary was never widely adopted in daily use, its conceptual significance remains immense, positioning Bouabré as both a linguistic innovator and a cultural guardian. Through this work, he not only sought to empower his own community but also demonstrated a broader vision of language as a bridge between oral tradition and written permanence.

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s fixation on polygamy was rooted in both cultural observation and philosophical inquiry, reflecting his broader interest in societal structures and human relationships. In his work, he often depicted polygamy as a fundamental aspect of traditional African life, examining its implications on family dynamics, gender roles, and social harmony. Rather than portraying it through a strictly moral or critical lens, Bouabré approached the subject as an anthropological and symbolic phenomenon, integrating it into his vast exploration of human customs. His depictions of polygamy, like much of his work, were characterized by a blend of naïve artistry and profound narrative depth, reinforcing his commitment to documenting and interpreting cultural traditions for future generations.

Titled respectively “Femme, que cuisines-tu??” (“Woman, what are you cooking?”) and “Homme, que bois-tu??” (“Man, what are you drinking?”), the pair forms a diptych—a dialogue between the feminine and masculine principles, rendered with Bouabré’s trademark simplicity, symbolism, and humanist reflection. On the left, the vibrant cooking pot surrounded by fire evokes creation, nourishment, and transformation—symbols of the feminine role as life-giver and sustainer. The colorful palette (yellow, red, green, purple) radiates warmth and energy, suggesting both the literal act of cooking and a metaphorical process of spiritual alchemy or knowledge creation. On the right, the drawing of a vessel and a cup—outlined delicately and left uncolored—represents the masculine act of consumption or contemplation. The minimalism contrasts with the fullness of the female image, implying a complementarity between doing and receiving, substance and reflection, body and mind. Bouabré often used such everyday objects—pots, gourds, cups, tools—as metaphors for cosmic balance and moral inquiry. His question format (“What are you cooking? What are you drinking?”) is not accusatory but philosophical, inviting reflection on human intention, responsibility, and reciprocity. Together, these two works encapsulate Bouabré’s worldview: that wisdom resides in ordinary life, that art and philosophy emerge from the simplest gestures, and that dialogue—between genders, cultures, and ideas—is essential to humanity’s harmony.

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1984

3 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1982-84

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1983

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1983

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1981

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1984

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1986

2 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), 1982

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s vision of La Mère Noire (The Black Mother) was a profound reflection on the origins of humanity and the universal mother figure in African and global consciousness. He viewed La Mère Noire as the symbolic ancestral mother of all people, a concept deeply tied to his belief in Africa as the cradle of civilization. Through his art and writings, Bouabré sought to highlight the maternal figure not just as a source of life but as a guardian of knowledge, wisdom, and cultural continuity. His exploration of this theme was both spiritual and anthropological, reinforcing his broader mission to document and celebrate African heritage within a universal framework.

1980s Vinyl Suite: A Curated Collection of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s Larger Works The Vinyl Suite is an extraordinary curated collection of 11 original drawings by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, offering a rare glimpse into a unique aspect of the artist’s practice. Unlike his well-known postcard-format artworks, this collection showcases pieces that are approximately twice the size, measuring around 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches). These works were created on the backs of record covers, reflecting Bouabré’s characteristic use of “found” cardboard as his canvas. While the use of repurposed materials was not uncommon in his oeuvre, the larger format of these drawings provides an expanded view of Bouabré’s intricate style and symbolic narratives, amplifying their visual and emotional impact. One of the defining features of The Vinyl Suite is the artist’s decision to sign these works on the front, a departure from his usual practice of signing smaller pieces (11 x 15 cm or 4.3 x 5.9 inches) on the back. This front-facing signature lends a distinctive sense of immediacy and importance to these drawings, highlighting them as significant departures from his more commonly seen format. However, in terms of style and technique, these works remain consistent with Bouabré’s iconic visual language, characterized by meticulously rendered ballpoint pen and colored pencil drawings, often accompanied by explanatory text. Each piece brims with Bouabré’s signature blend of cultural symbolism, spiritual inquiry, and universal themes. Works of this size and format by Bouabré rarely enter the art market, making The Vinyl Suite a particularly exceptional collection. While smaller pieces have fetched record amounts at auctions, including at Sotheby’s New York, these larger works are even more scarce, offering collectors and scholars a rare opportunity to engage with a broader and more impactful interpretation of Bouabré’s artistic vision. The unique provenance and context of these drawings—crafted on the backs of record covers—further emphasize Bouabré’s resourcefulness and his ability to transform everyday materials into profound works of art. The collection stands as a testament to his enduring legacy and the universal resonance of his creations. 1980s Vinyl Suite: 11 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), 21 x 29 cm (8.3 x 11.4 inches), hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré.

1986 Vinyl Suite: A Curated Collection of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s Larger Works The Vinyl Suite is an extraordinary curated collection of 23 original drawings by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, offering a rare glimpse into a unique aspect of the artist’s practice. Unlike his well-known postcard-format artworks, this collection showcases pieces that are approximately twice the size, measuring around 17 x 23 cm. These works were created on the backs of record covers, reflecting Bouabré’s characteristic use of “found” cardboard as his canvas. While the use of repurposed materials was not uncommon in his oeuvre, the larger format of these drawings provides an expanded view of Bouabré’s intricate style and symbolic narratives, amplifying their visual and emotional impact. One of the defining features of The Vinyl Suite is the artist’s decision to sign these works on the front, a departure from his usual practice of signing smaller pieces (11 x 15 cm or 4.3 x 5.9 inches) on the back. This front-facing signature lends a distinctive sense of immediacy and importance to these drawings, highlighting them as significant departures from his more commonly seen format. However, in terms of style and technique, these works remain consistent with Bouabré’s iconic visual language, characterized by meticulously rendered ballpoint pen and colored pencil drawings, often accompanied by explanatory text. Each piece brims with Bouabré’s signature blend of cultural symbolism, spiritual inquiry, and universal themes. Works of this size and format by Bouabré rarely enter the art market, making The Vinyl Suite a particularly exceptional collection. While smaller pieces have fetched record amounts at auctions, including at Sotheby’s New York, these larger works are even more scarce, offering collectors and scholars a rare opportunity to engage with a broader and more impactful interpretation of Bouabré’s artistic vision. The unique provenance and context of these drawings—crafted on the backs of record covers—further emphasize Bouabré’s resourcefulness and his ability to transform everyday materials into profound works of art. The collection stands as a testament to his enduring legacy and the universal resonance of his creations. 1980s Vinyl Suite: 23 original drawings on card board (vinyl sleeves), 17 x 23 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré.

La Vision Solaire autour de l’Humanité This is a remarkable and coherent series by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, titled “La Vision Solaire autour de l’Humanité” (“The Solar Vision around Humanity”), all executed in July 1988. The fact that the drawings are dated consecutively (6–12 July) strongly suggests that this is not a loose grouping, but a deliberate conceptual sequence—a meditation developed over several days. At the center of each work stands a simplified human figure, arms extended in a cruciform or Vitruvian-like pose, surrounded by seven colored circles. These circles likely represent a symbolic system—possibly cosmic forces, planetary bodies, or spiritual energies—that revolve around or define human existence. Bouabré often worked with systems of knowledge, and here he seems to propose a universal cosmology, where humanity is both central and interconnected with a larger, ordered universe. What makes this series particularly compelling is the variation: each drawing is associated with a different color designation—blanche (white), bleue (blue), verte (green), jaune (yellow), noire (black), violette (violet)—and the central figure subtly changes in tone, gender, or physical detail. These shifts suggest that Bouabré is exploring humanity through multiple states or identities, perhaps reflecting diversity, spiritual conditions, or symbolic “types” of being. The repetition of the composition reinforces the idea of a system, while the variations introduce individuality within universality. Formally, the works are classic Bouabré: modest in scale, executed in colored pencil and ink on card, framed by handwritten text and decorative borders. Yet conceptually, they are expansive. This series reflects his lifelong ambition to catalogue and transmit knowledge—not just cultural or linguistic (as in his Bété alphabet), but cosmic and philosophical. In essence, “La Vision Solaire autour de l’Humanité” reads as a kind of personal cosmogram: a visual philosophy in which the human being is positioned at the center of a harmonious, color-coded universe—at once individual, symbolic, and universal. ​ La Vision Solaire autour de l’Humanité, 7 original drawings, 30 x 30 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1988

The Sublime Bienvenue This drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré belongs to the artist’s broader project of translating human experience into a visual and textual language that merges mythology, memory, and spiritual inquiry. Framed by handwritten text, the work unfolds as a narrative fragment: a journey undertaken “in the intention of recovering his elder sister, the sublime Bienvenue.” As often in Bouabré’s practice, the image functions not merely as illustration but as a form of inscription—an attempt to preserve and transmit knowledge. The central figures, rendered with his characteristic linear clarity, occupy a space that is both intimate and symbolic, where gesture and posture carry narrative weight. The repeated motifs covering the male figure’s body suggest a layered identity, as if the individual is composed of multiple presences—memories, spirits, or lived experiences—embedded within the self. Executed on a repurposed record sleeve, the work also reflects Bouabré’s material philosophy: creation as an act of necessity, using whatever support is available to give form to thought. This reuse is not incidental but resonates with the content of the drawing itself, reinforcing themes of transformation and continuity. The smaller figure in motion introduces a dynamic element, evoking action, intervention, or ritual, while the architectural forms in the background anchor the scene within a lived, though imagined, environment. Together, text and image construct a self-contained cosmology in which personal narrative expands into universal meaning. In this way, the work exemplifies Bouabré’s singular vision—an art that is at once archival and visionary, grounded in storytelling yet oriented toward a total understanding of humanity. ​ The Sublime Bienvenue, 1 original drawings, 63 x 32 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1988 ​

In Love With a Young Woman This drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, dated March 24, 1988, belongs to his ongoing project of constructing a visual and textual encyclopedia of human experience, in which mythology, intimacy, and symbolic knowledge converge. The handwritten inscription frames the scene as a narrative of desire and union—“in love with a young woman”—situating the image within Bouabré’s unique blend of storytelling and conceptual system-building. At the center, a female figure is rendered frontally, her body stylized yet assertive, while below her an inverted male figure establishes a striking compositional tension. This duality—upright and inverted, feminine and masculine—creates a symbolic structure that evokes not only physical intimacy but also a broader cosmological balance, a recurring concern in Bouabré’s work. The composition is anchored by a band of geometric, hut-like forms along the upper register, suggesting both a communal setting and a patterned order that frames the human encounter. As in many of Bouabré’s drawings, the use of colored pencil and ink on a repurposed printed sheet underscores his material pragmatism while reinforcing the conceptual layering of the work: contemporary fragments of the world become the support for timeless narratives. The explicit yet schematic rendering of the bodies resists eroticism in a conventional sense, instead transforming the act into a symbolic diagram of connection, fertility, and reciprocity. In this way, the drawing transcends its immediate subject, becoming part of Bouabré’s larger vision—an attempt to map the emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of humanity through a personal and universal language. ​ In Love with a Young Woman, 1 original drawings, 63 x 32 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1988 ​

Le Géant et son Tam-Tam Dated March 26, 1987, this drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré presents a vivid allegorical scene titled Le Géant et son Tam-Tam, in which music, myth, and communal identity converge. At the center, a seated figure beats a drum, anchoring the composition with a rhythmic, almost ceremonial presence, while behind him stands a towering hybrid creature—part human, part bird—whose elongated beak and wings evoke a mythological guardian or spirit. Flanking figures, rendered with Bouabré’s characteristic frontal simplicity, form a compact ensemble that suggests both hierarchy and collective participation. The sun, radiating above, casts the scene in a symbolic light, reinforcing the sense of ritual and timelessness that permeates the work. As in much of Bouabré’s practice, the image is enclosed within a handwritten textual frame, transforming the drawing into both a visual narrative and a didactic statement. The references to giants, birds, and the tam-tam drum situate the scene within an imagined or remembered cosmology, where oral tradition and symbolic language intertwine. Executed in colored pencil and ink on a reused printed sheet, the work reflects Bouabré’s resourceful use of materials while layering contemporary fragments beneath his own system of knowledge. The stylized figures, stripped of individual detail yet charged with expressive intensity, function as archetypes within a broader effort to catalogue human experience—here, through the lens of sound, power, and the enduring connection between the human and the mythical. ​ Le Géant et son Tam-Tam, 1 original drawings, 63 x 32 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1987

Zraê, the son of God Dated October 16, 1988, this drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré unfolds as a layered cosmological narrative in which myth, genealogy, and everyday life intersect. The inscription—invoking “Zraê, the son of God”—frames the composition as a fragment of a larger mythological system, one that Bouabré constructs through both image and text. The upper register presents two enigmatic figures: a large, almost monstrous being with exaggerated facial features and a second, more human figure, whose gesture suggests greeting or revelation. Their presence establishes a divine or primordial dimension, hovering above the earthly scene below and introducing a hierarchy between the sacred and the human. In the lower half, a group of figures gathers in a communal setting, where a seated musician plays a drum, anchoring the scene in rhythm and social ritual. The surrounding women, rendered with Bouabré’s characteristic clarity and repetition, evoke both individuality and archetype, suggesting a collective identity shaped by tradition and shared experience. A vertical, almost serpentine form links the upper and lower registers, visually binding the divine and the human realms into a single continuum. As with many of Bouabré’s works, the drawing is executed on a reused printed sheet, embedding traces of contemporary life beneath a personal mythology. Through this synthesis, Bouabré creates not merely an image, but a system of knowledge—one that seeks to map the origins, beliefs, and lived realities of humanity within a unified visual language. ​ Zraê, the son of God, 1 original drawings, 63 x 32 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1988 ​

La Légende de la Vérité The unique series La Légende de la Vérité by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré is a coherent narrative cycle consisting of 50 original drawings, each approximately 13 x 17 cm, executed in the artist’s unmistakable style—naïve yet deliberate, with a structured layout combining image and handwritten text within a carefully framed composition. As in many of Bouabré’s works, the drawings function as both visual and literary storytelling, each panel acting as a page in a larger philosophical tale. The first part of the series introduces the central narrative: two brothers, one representing truth and the other falsehood, whose destinies unfold through a symbolic journey. The story begins with a divine or cosmic presence—“Dieu de Bogrou”—and a sacred landscape, establishing a mythological framework. The brothers live together in peace, but their differing natures gradually emerge. Truth is depicted as calm, honest, and in harmony with nature, while the lying brother becomes associated with deception, sin, and moral disorder. Bouabré uses simple but powerful imagery—trees, houses, the sun, and human gestures—to communicate complex moral ideas in a universal visual language. As the story progresses toward the end of the series, the moral contrast between the two brothers becomes decisive. Truth lives modestly, close to nature, and ultimately discovers a tool or instrument—represented visually as a kind of net or vessel—that allows him to reveal what is hidden. The final drawings and texts emphasize that truth, though sometimes hidden in the forest because of its “nudity,” eventually reveals everything and restores order. The last panels shift from narrative imagery to written reflection, where Bouabré presents the philosophical conclusion of the story: truth is the ultimate judge and the force that resolves disputes among people. In La Légende de la Vérité, Bouabré combines folklore, moral teaching, and spiritual philosophy into a sequential visual narrative, demonstrating his unique ability to merge drawing, writing, and storytelling into a form that is at once simple, didactic, and profoundly universal. ​ La Légende de la Vérité, 50 original drawings on cardboard, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 2005

La Légende de Néhï et TchéTché La Légende de Néhï et TchéTché is a unique narrative series by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré consisting of 32 original drawings, each measuring approximately 13 x 17 cm. Executed in Bouabré’s unmistakable style—naïve yet highly structured, combining image and handwritten text within a carefully framed composition—the series functions as a visual tale in sequential form. Like many of Bouabré’s works, the drawings operate simultaneously as images and as pages of a book, forming a didactic narrative rooted in folklore, morality, and everyday life. The story begins by introducing the couple Néhï and TchéTché and situates them within the Bété world, presenting scenes of village life, agriculture, animals, talismans, and daily labor. These early images establish a symbolic universe in which human life, nature, spirituality, and survival are closely interconnected. Bouabré uses simple figures, plants, tools, and animals not merely as illustrations of rural life, but as moral symbols that gradually build the foundation of the story. As the narrative develops, the story focuses on the couple’s desire for a child and the challenges they face. The later drawings show the woman making a wish, becoming pregnant, and eventually giving birth under unusual and symbolic circumstances. The child that is born is not ordinary and undergoes a transformation, suggesting that the story moves from a simple tale of family life into the realm of myth and moral allegory. The final drawings of the series present the philosophical conclusion of the legend, written by Bouabré himself: “La légende de Néhï et TchéTché nous enseigne que l’invincibilité peut être vaincue par une force beaucoup plus importante. Ainsi dire, nul n’est assez fort.” Through this conclusion, Bouabré frames the entire story as a moral lesson about strength, humility, and the limits of human power. The series is therefore not only a narrative work but also a philosophical one, demonstrating Bouabré’s lifelong mission to transmit knowledge, wisdom, and ethical reflection through drawing and storytelling. ​ La Légende de Néhï et TchéTché, 32 original drawings on cardboard, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 2005

Le Péché Mortel – Dieu n’aime pas le péché This unique large-format drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, measuring approximately 30 x 30 cm, is an exceptional and rare example of the artist’s work in a scale far larger than his more commonly known postcard-sized pieces. Executed in Bouabré’s unmistakable style—characterized by naïve figuration, a carefully structured layout, and the integration of handwritten text within a framed composition—the work combines image and moral statement into a single didactic panel. The drawing, titled « Dieu n’aime pas le péché » and subtitled Le Péché Mortel – Homme Blanc = Femme, presents a symbolic and moralizing scene rendered in ballpoint pen and colored pencil on found cardboard. As in many of Bouabré’s works, the image functions as a visual lesson, where the human figure is depicted in a stylized and expressive manner to communicate a philosophical or ethical message rather than a realistic scene. Because of its unusually large dimensions and the clarity of its message, this work can be understood as part of what could be titled Les Tableaux Moraux (The Moral Panels), a term that reflects Bouabré’s lifelong project of educating, documenting, and transmitting universal knowledge through image and text. Unlike his smaller works, which often function like pages of an encyclopedic archive, this larger piece has the presence of a didactic tableau—almost like a teaching panel—intended to communicate a clear moral idea about sin, human behavior, and spiritual law. The work demonstrates Bouabré’s unique position between artist, philosopher, and educator, and stands as a rare and powerful example of his ability to transform simple materials and direct imagery into a universal moral statement. ​ Le Péché Mortel, 1 original drawing on cardboard, 30 x 30 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1986

Géographie d’Afrique – Reflétée par le Soleil This unique large-format drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, measuring approximately 30 x 30 cm, is a rare and significant example of the artist’s work executed on a vinyl record cover, reflecting his well-known practice of using found cardboard as a support. Titled Géographie d’Afrique – Reflétée par le Soleil and dated 12 November 1985, the work presents a symbolic representation of the African continent enclosed within a radiant solar disc, surrounded by a structured border of stars and geometric framing lines. Executed in Bouabré’s unmistakable style—characterized by naïve drawing, balanced layout, handwritten text, and the integration of image and language—the work functions both as a visual composition and as a conceptual statement. The continent of Africa is placed at the center of a cosmic structure, suggesting Bouabré’s recurring idea of Africa as a spiritual and civilizational center reflected and illuminated by universal knowledge, often symbolized by the sun in his work. The composition demonstrates Bouabré’s unique ability to combine geography, cosmology, and philosophy into a single didactic image. As in many of his drawings, the image is framed like a page from an encyclopedic system of knowledge, reinforcing his lifelong project of documenting the world through image and text. The use of the record sleeve as support adds an additional conceptual layer, connecting popular culture, everyday material, and universal history. Because of its unusually large size and its clear thematic focus, this work can be understood as a standalone conceptual panel within Bouabré’s broader body of work, where art serves as a tool for education, cultural affirmation, and the transmission of universal knowledge. ​ Géographie d’Afrique – Reflétée par le Soleil, 1 original drawing on cardboard, 30 x 30 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1985

Astres et Vérité – La Vision Solaire This unique large-format drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, measuring approximately 30 x 30 cm, is a rare and significant example of the artist’s cosmological and philosophical work. Titled Astres et Vérité – La Vision Solaire, the drawing reflects one of the central themes in Bouabré’s oeuvre: the solar vision he experienced in 1948, which he described as a divine revelation and which became the foundation of his artistic and intellectual mission. Executed in Bouabré’s unmistakable style—characterized by naïve figuration, structured layout, handwritten text, and the integration of image and language—the composition presents a constellation of human-like celestial bodies arranged in a balanced geometric structure. Each circular face, rendered in soft color pencil and outlined in pen, appears as a personified star or planetary entity, reinforcing Bouabré’s belief in a universe where cosmic forces, humanity, and divinity are interconnected. The drawing functions both as an image and as a philosophical diagram, framed like a page from Bouabré’s universal encyclopedia of knowledge. The border, handwritten titles, and symbolic arrangement of forms transform the work into a didactic panel that communicates ideas about truth, the universe, and divine presence through simple yet powerful visual language. Because of its unusually large size and its clear thematic connection to Bouabré’s Vision Solaire, this work can be understood as a standalone cosmological tableau, demonstrating the artist’s role not only as a draftsman, but as a thinker and recorder of spiritual and universal knowledge. ​ Astres et Vérité – La Vision Solaire, 1 original drawing on cardboard, 30 x 30 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1985

Adoration et Lumière Divine This unique large-format drawing by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, measuring approximately 30 x 30 cm, is a rare and powerful example of the artist’s spiritual and philosophical imagery, executed on a found vinyl record cover in keeping with his long-standing practice of working on recovered cardboard. The work, which can be titled Adoration et Lumière Divine, depicts two stylized human figures engaged in an act of devotion or transmission, framed within Bouabré’s characteristic hand-drawn border and accompanied by handwritten text. Rendered in his unmistakable naïve style—with simplified anatomical forms, soft colored pencil shading, and a carefully structured layout—the composition reflects Bouabré’s belief in art as a vehicle for spiritual knowledge and moral instruction. The scene appears to represent a symbolic relationship between humanity and the creator, a recurring theme in Bouabré’s work, where human figures are often shown in gestures of reverence, learning, or transmission of knowledge. As in many of his drawings, the image is not merely illustrative but didactic: the surrounding text functions as both title and philosophical statement, transforming the drawing into a page from Bouabré’s vast visual encyclopedia of human knowledge, spirituality, and cultural philosophy. The unusually large format reinforces the importance of the subject matter, positioning the work as a standalone conceptual panel rather than a small archival card, and further emphasizing Bouabré’s unique position as both artist and visual thinker documenting a universal worldview through image and text. ​ Adoration et Lumière Divine, 1 original drawing on cardboard, 30 x 30 cm, hand signed by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, 1985