Fouta Djallon woman with crest headdress

Fulani (Peul) woman from Fouta Djallon, central Guinea. Traditional African hairstyles are symbols of cultural identity. This majestic and gorgeous braided hairstyle was donned by Fulani women and passed down from one generation to another.

Dequene studied art in Lille where he was born and in Paris. A study grant allowed him to spend five months in French Sudan, Upper-Volta, French Guinea and Senegal in 1932. He exhibited his African oils and pastels at the Salon de Société Coloniale des Artistes Francaise in 1933. He visited Morocco and Madagascar in 1946 and 1953 respectively. His painting of the market in Fez is in the collection of the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie in Roubaix. From 1936 to 1962 he was a professor of painting and drawing in the same city. Retrospective exhibitions of his work were held in France in the 1990s.