African Art in American Collections

African art is a great artistic tradition that has recently been recognized. This collection showcases nearly 1,600 objects with scholarly information on style, usage, meaning, and cultural origin. It is an essential reference for scholars, teachers, students, curators, collectors, and dealers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 616 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2023
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd

African art, with its powerful forms, intricate symbolism, and formal inventiveness, has recently gained recognition as one of the great artistic traditions of humankind. This rich tradition is showcased in a remarkable selection of outstanding works, with nearly 1,600 objects illustrated and accompanied by scholarly information on style, usage, meaning, and cultural origin. The book is organized into sections, each highlighting a distinct style of African art, including Western Sudan, the West African Coastal Region, West Central Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa. A thought-provoking introduction helps readers understand the significance of African art as a form of human creative expression, its relationships to contemporary Western art, and the controversies surrounding it in the world's museums. The text and captions provide answers to many questions for newcomers to the field and professionals alike. This comprehensive survey of some 230 styles of African art serves as an essential reference for scholars, teachers, students, curators, collectors, and dealers.

Introduction:
African art has a rich and complex history that has only recently been recognized as one of the great artistic traditions of humanity. With its powerful forms, intricate symbolism, and formal inventiveness, African art has been a source of inspiration for artists around the world for centuries. This book aims to provide a comprehensive survey of some 230 styles of African art, showcasing the diversity and richness of this artistic tradition.

The Styles of African Art:
The book is organized into sections, each highlighting a distinct style of African art. Western Sudan, the West African Coastal Region, West Central Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa are among the regions covered in the book. Each section provides an overview of the artistic styles and techniques unique to that region, as well as an examination of the cultural and historical contexts that shaped them.

Scholarly Information:
In addition to the illustrations, each object in the book is accompanied by scholarly information on style, usage, meaning, and cultural origin. This information is provided by experts in the field, and it helps readers to understand the significance of African art as a form of human creative expression. The book also explores the relationships between African art and contemporary Western art, and it discusses the controversies surrounding African art in the world's museums.

Conclusion:
This book is an essential reference for scholars, teachers, students, curators, collectors, and dealers interested in African art. It provides a comprehensive survey of some 230 styles of African art, showcasing the diversity and richness of this artistic tradition. With its scholarly information and thought-provoking introduction, this book helps readers to understand the significance of African art as a form of human creative expression and its place in the world of art.

Weight: 3788g
Dimension: 310 x 239 x 51 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780764320057