Informed by the latest scholarship yet written for the general reader, this has been the first comprehensive study to present the arts of Africa in art historical terms. A History of Art in Africa covers all parts of the continent, including Egypt, from prehistory to the present day and includes the art of the African Diaspora. Many aspects of visual culture are given detailed consideration, including sculpture, architecture, and such quintessentially African forms as masquerades, festivals, and personal adornment. The arts of daily life, of royal ceremony, and of state cosmology receive compelling discussions. Throughout, the authors emphasize the cultural contexts in which art is produced and imbued with meanings. Among the ancient works illustrated are masterpieces in brass, gold, ivory, stone and terracotta. Religious arts serving Islamic and Christian communities are presented, as are fascinating hybrid arts that periodically arose from African interactions with Europe, Asia and the Americas. Twentieth-century arts are explored as part of the vibrancy of modern Africa and as ingenious responses to historical change. 'Twenty-first-century African artists, and artists of the African Diaspora, are presented in the context of changing global economies and new theoretical positions. This expanded and revised second edition provides a new chapter on African artists working abroad, and five new short essays on cross-cultural topics such as tourist arts, dating methods, and the illicit trade in archaeological artifacts. The illustrations - featuring a vast and rich array of images of artworks, archival and contemporary field photographs, explanatory drawings and plans, and individual objects displayed in museums and in use - have likewise been greatly extended, with many more pictures now shown in color.
This is a pioneering introduction to a subject that is still at an early srage of academic development.
Acknowledging the universal allure of the African art object, this stunning book helps us to understand more about the ways in which this art was produced, used, and received.
In Africa’s Struggle for Its Art, Bénédicte Savoy brings to light this largely unknown but deeply important history.
This complex bureaucratic system impacted all levels of social life from local rites of passage to large-scale resistance of Portuguese military encroachment until the mid-nineteenth century. While the term ombala designated the central ...
Inspired by a landmark exhibition of art on view at the Guggenheim Museum, this book provides an accessible overview to one of the world's great art traditions. Africa is the...
The writing is interesting, the stories surrounding the objects often fascinating. Thompson's essay is wonderfully composed. This is a work that can be enjoyed by the non-specialist reader for the tales it tells alone.
This is a pioneering introduction to a subject that is still at an early stage of academic development. It aims to provide the reader with a systematic method for the...
It includes a brief overview of the Metropolitan's collection of African art; a short introduction and history of Africa; an explanation of the role of visual expression in the continent; descriptions of the featured works of art and ...
The collections of the British Museum provide an exceptional resource for exploring both African antiquity and its contemporary arts and cultures. This book looks at the continent as a whole....
"Arts of Africa" propone un viaggio eccezionale nel cuore del continente africano e nell'immensità della sua espressione artistica. Questo primo volume è dedicato alle arti tradizionali e presenta 250 opere...