Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (Cheik Nadro) (Côte d'Ivoire, 1923–2014), Divine peinture prise sur une banane jaunie image, ici, deux artistes du monde se regardent avec “art”, 2006. Colored pencil and ink on cardstock. Gift of Stefan Simchowitz, 2018.19
Amongst the first generation in his native Ivory Coast to be formally taught how to write, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré was inspired to translate the Bété oral language into written form. This artist, poet, researcher, and inventor created an original pictographic alphabet as a way to borrow from, yet subvert, the medium of his French colonizers. From the 1970s until his death in 2014, he also created hundreds of brightly colored postcard-size illustrations that incorporate African writing systems, popular culture, scientific theories, and tongue-in-cheek humor.
The Cantor is open to the public, Wednesdays–Sundays 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. We’re always free. Advance registration is not required, but it helps us plan if we know who's coming.
The Cantor Arts Center is located at the intersection of Museum Way and Lomita Drive in the heart of the arts district on the Stanford campus. The Cantor faces the Bing Concert Hall across Palm Drive, northwest of The Oval and the Main Quad.
Parking is limited. Stanford has a new contactless process to pay for parking, using the ParkMobile app, website, or phone. Prior to your visit, we recommend you visit the Stanford Transportation website to learn more about the updated visitor parking process.
