Post by Laurence Aikens

François “Féral” Eugène Benga (July 8, 1906 – September 13, 1957) was a dancer and became a sought-after model of the Harlem Renaissance; Carl Van Vechten, Richmond Barthé, and George Platt Lynes, among others, took his portraits and sculptures. He was the grandchild of one of Dakar’s wealthiest property owners. He moved to Paris, and his father disinherited him. He starred in The Blood of a Poet. He was a Folies Bergère star. Richmond Barthé went on a tour to Paris. This trip exposed Barthé to classical art and performers such as he and Josephine Baker. He was enchanted by him, which led Barthé to create a sculpture of him in 1935. His partner, Geoffrey Gorer, wrote Africa Dances, dedicated to him. It was the result of a trip they made to Africa in 1933 to study the native dances. He opened a nightclub in Paris. James A. Porter, in Soldat Senegalese, painted him. Back in Manhattan, he was a gay icon. He moved in the circles of the Harlem Renaissance. Pavel Tchelitchew painted him, and the painting, Deposition, was owned by Lincoln Kirstein. Back in Paris in 1947, he owned a bar, La Rose Rouge, at 53 Rue de la Harpe. The club featured an African cabaret; all performers were African students at universities in Paris. The bar attracted a young clientele, including Nico, Mireille, and Jean Rougeuil, who opened the attached club, Le Club de la Rose Rouge. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence