A female figure sculpted by an artist of the Loma culture, at right in the foreground, stands at one end of Charlie Benenson’s living room. There are about 600 African pieces in Benenson’s collection, most of them dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. None of the artists' names are known. The Loma figure looks at a Giacometti sculpture, by the door. Over the shelf of smaller figures are paintings and works on paper by modern European artists, including Jean Metzinger, Kurt Schwitters, and Fernand Leger.

All photos ©Richard Barnes