Lot 458: chris simpson , (british , 1952-): the grand mos

chris simpson , (british , 1952-): the grand mos que at djenne - mali , gicl ée print , signed and inscribed with the title in the margin , limited edition 7 of 20 depicting a view of the Great Mosque from the North East, unexamined out of the frame the plate 60cm by 106cm The Great Mosque of Djenné was built in 1907 with forced labour and differs from its original predecessor of the 13th century. Excepting for the loudspeaker system seen in the photograph, no other modernisation has been allowed to take place, thus preserving this Unesco World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest mudbrick buildings in Africa and non Muslims are not allowed entry following a Vogue shoot in 1996, where scantily clad women posed inside the mosque, causing an outrage amongst the population. It is important to understand that the mosque is of significant cultural and religious importance to the peoples of Djenné and that the city itself used to be an important centre of Islamic learning and pilgramage as well as trade. The print, by using sepia tones, brings out the age and sense of timelessness embodied by the mosque. ILLUSTRATED ON OPPOSITE PAGE