Frédéric Bruly Bouabré

Collection, Research, and Exhibitions

The Foundation of ART NYC is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the continued study and international presentation of the work and ideas of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (1923–2014).

The Foundation maintains and manages a substantial collection comprising several hundred works by Bouabré from different periods and thematic series. This collection serves as the foundation for ongoing research into his visual language, the Bété writing system, mythology, memory, observation, and the organization and transmission of knowledge.

The Foundation’s engagement extends beyond collecting and preserving individual works. It examines the relationships among works and series, studies the language and symbols recorded within them, and situates Bouabré’s practice within broader histories of writing, oral tradition, visual communication, and contemporary art.

Collection

The Foundation of ART NYC holds several hundred works by Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, representing a wide range of periods, subjects, and visual approaches within his practice.

The collection consists primarily of works created with ballpoint pen, colored pencil, and mixed media on paper and cardboard. Its subjects include the Bété writing system, the human face, signs observed in nature, mythology, religion, daily life, society, history, love, and universal communication.

The Foundation preserves and studies not only individual works but also the structures and relationships of multipart series in which separate images form a continuous visual language or narrative. The collection is systematically managed for exhibitions, scholarly research, publications, educational programs, international collaborations, and institutional loans.

Research

Bouabré combined images and writing to record and communicate his observations of the world. The Bété writing system he developed was more than a visual form: it was an effort to document an oral language and preserve collective memory.

The Foundation’s research focuses on:

• The Bété writing system and Bouabré’s visual language
• Relationships between image and text
• Oral traditions and the history of recording knowledge
• Meaning created through repetition, sequence, and visual association
• Visual observations of mythology, religion, nature, and society
• The preservation of individual memory and collective knowledge
• Relationships between ancient systems of signs and modern visual language
• The contemporary relevance of Bouabré’s artistic and intellectual practice

Drawing upon its collection, the Foundation develops research materials for exhibitions, publications, educational programs, and collaborations with museums, curators, scholars, artists, and cultural institutions.

ART NYC Exhibitions and Presentations

2026 —Song E Yoon: Songs Across Time

Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Spazio 996/A, Venice, Italy
May 9–November 22, 2026

Organized by The Foundation of ART NYC, this official Collateral Event places Bouabré’s Bété writing system in dialogue with Song E Yoon’s pre-phonetic visual language, Song E Code.

The exhibition examines the long history through which humanity has used images and signs to preserve and transmit memory and knowledge. Within this context, Bouabré’s work is presented as a visual system connecting oral tradition, collective memory, and the pursuit of universal communication.

2025 —Cheik Nadro: “The One Who Does Not Forget”

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré Solo Exhibition
ART NYC × Space 776, New York
April 11–29, 2025

This New York solo exhibition brought together works created from the 1970s through the 2000s, examining Bouabré’s visual observations, the Bété writing system, and the relationship between memory and documentation.

Alongside his widely recognized postcard-size drawings, the exhibition presented larger works and works that had received limited previous public exposure. Its title refers to Bouabré’s adopted name, Cheik Nadro—“the one who does not forget”—and his lifelong commitment to recording and transmitting knowledge.

2025 — Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week

WestWorld of Scottsdale, Arizona
March 20–23, 2025

The Foundation presented Bouabré’s work at Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, introducing his practice to collectors, cultural organizations, and audiences in the American Southwest. This presentation expanded the Foundation’s exhibition and research activities beyond New York and Europe.

2024 — Art on Paper New York

Pier 36, New York
September 5–8, 2024

The Foundation presented Bouabré’s work at Art on Paper New York, a fair dedicated to contemporary and modern art created with and through paper.

The presentation emphasized the material and conceptual significance of paper and cardboard in Bouabré’s practice and his distinctive combination of language, imagery, observation, and color.

2024 — Love Letter

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré Solo Exhibition
Kunst Depot, Venice, Italy
May 29–June 12, 2024

Organized by The Foundation of ART NYC, this Venice solo exhibition presented approximately 100 works exploring Bouabré’s integration of image and text, visual documentation, memory, and universal communication.

The exhibition was presented as part of ART NYC’s special exhibition project in Venice during the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Archive and Documentation

The Foundation of ART NYC maintains a structured archival and documentation system to support the preservation, study, and presentation of its Bouabré collection.

Each work is individually registered within the Foundation’s internal collection-management system. Records include high-resolution images of the front and back of the work, title, date, materials, dimensions, signatures and inscriptions, series information, condition, and exhibition, publication, and loan history.

For multipart works and extended series, the Foundation documents both the individual components and their sequence, structure, and relationship to the series as a whole. These records support long-term preservation, scholarly research, exhibition planning, institutional loans, and publications.

Detailed collection records and internal registration information are maintained confidentially. Relevant documentation may be made available to museums, research institutions, curators, and qualified professionals upon formal request and review.

Selected Works

The Foundation presents a carefully selected group of works and series from the collection. The complete holdings are not published online.

Each selected work is presented with its title, date, materials, dimensions, series information, and relevant exhibition history. Additional information may be made available for scholarly, curatorial, or institutional purposes.

Research and Institutional Collaboration

The Foundation of ART NYC welcomes collaboration with museums, curators, scholars, publishers, and educational institutions seeking to study or present Bouabré’s work and visual language.

Works from the collection may be made available selectively for exhibitions, scholarly research, publications, and educational programs. Proposals involving institutional loans, collaborative exhibitions, research access, and collection inquiries are reviewed individually by the Foundation.

• Research Inquiry
• Exhibition Proposal
• Institutional Loan
• Collection Inquiry

Through sustained collection stewardship, research, exhibitions, and international collaboration, The Foundation of ART NYC is committed to preserving and advancing the artistic and intellectual legacy of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré.

Ask about artist:  info@artnycnewyork.com