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An history of the visual arts of Africa - sculpture, painting and architecture; textiles, pottery and other household objects; jewellery, ceremonial and religious dress and body art. The author examines the major influences on African culture and art over the centuries: the civilizations of Egypt and the Mediterranean coast, the spread of Islam, the Bantu migrations, the evolution of the tribal system, the arrival of the Europeans and Christianity and the development of trade within Africa and beyond. He then examines the earliest known art forms, the preshitoric rock art found in a number of regions and the artefacts of the ancient Nubian, Aksumite and Nok cultures, and goes on to consider the development of the visual arts in a number of individual regions ranging from the Sahara to the Cape, from Ethiopia and the Swahili coast in the east to the Niger Delta and Benin in the west. ... Read more

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In the West, hairstyle choices range from the purely functional to the complex fashion statement.In the African continent their significance is far greater.Hair can be an indicator of age, authority, social status, and religious affiliation, as well as part of a long tradition of aesthetic adornment or a strictly contemporary style statement.In some cultures hair itself is used as a potent substabce with supernatural power. ... Read more

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In recent years, the critical study of museums has emerged as a major focus of scholarly inquiry across various disciplines, bringing into greater focus the effect that museum practice has on the formation of meaning and the public perception of objects. Representing Africa in American Museums is the first comprehensive book to focus on the history of African art in American art museums. Chronicling more than a century of building and presenting collections of African art in thirteen American art museums, from the late 1800s to the present, the book considers the art museum as a lens for understanding the shifting visions of African art that are manifested in institutional practices of collecting and display in the United States.

Thirteen essays present the institutional biographies of African art collections in a selection of American art museums: the Cincinnati Museum of Art, the Hampton University Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Barnes Foundation, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Primitive Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Indiana University Art Museum, the Fowler Museum at UCLA, the University of Iowa Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Menil Collection, and the National Museum of African Art.

Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Christa Clarke offer a review of the history of collecting and displaying African art in American museums and identify important issues that are raised by the essays: defining aesthetic criteria for African art and for its display; breaking free from the monolithic rubric of "primitive art"; broadening perceptions of what constitutes African art; and formulating a place for context and culture in understanding and presenting African art.

Representing Africa in American Art Museums concludes with an afterword that anticipates the direction for the collecting and display of African art in American art museums in the twenty-first century, including the ethics and legalities of collecting; the deconstruction of a singular and authoritative museum voice in interpreting works of art; the interests and engagement of local African American and African communities that have a stake in how collections are represented; and how, if, and where to include contemporary art from Africa in museum collections.

Kathleen Bickford Berzock is curator of African art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Christa Clarke is curator of arts of Africa and senior curator of arts of Africa and the Americas at The Newark Museum.

"Truly exceptional. In addition to serving as a text for courses in several disciplines, the volume is likely to be a significant research resource." -Raymond A. Silverman, Director of the Museum Studies Program, University of Michigan ... Read more

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Describes how different types of masks are made and used in Africa and how they reflect the culture of their ethnic groups. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Collecting African masks
Reading the book gives you an exccellent, first introduction to African masks. It is easy to read and spurs your curiosity to get to know more about the cultural traditions of the tribes in Africa. ... Read more

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Photographs taken of African sculptures by Walker Evans for a 1935 Metropolitan Museum exhibit. ... Read more

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"Paul Jones is a passionate collector with a very good eye. He [has] sought out very good examples of excellent artists who have played prominent roles in American art."—Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Chief Curator, Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Paul R. Jones Collection is one of the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive holdings of African American art in the world.Jones, who was named by Art and Antiques as one of the top one hundred collectors in the United States, began buying paintings, prints, photographs, and sculpture four decades ago and has now amassed over fifteen hundred works, many of them by well-known artists. Among the sixty-six represented in A Century of African American Art are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Henry Ossawa Tanner, James VanDerZee, Carrie Mae Weems, and Hale Woodruff.

Lavishly illustrated with over one hundred color photographs, this book provides an important resource for the study of the works included in the Jones collection, the artists who created them, as well as the social and historical contexts that engendered them. The volume brings together ten essays, which examine four issues in American art: portraiture and realism in relation to abstract expressionism, the implications of color, the role of narrative, and the concept of multiple originals. Each essay makes the intentional effort to de-race African American art—not to strip the work of its idiomatic cultural footing, but rather to situate it within the larger picture of the nation’s history and cultural traditions.

Reflecting the diversity of the collection itself, the contributors come from wide-ranging fields including American art, African American art, African art, art conservation, color theory, photography, and sociology.Together, the eclectic selections make a major contribution to recontextualizing African American scholarship in the broadest sense, while also providing important insights into the Jones collection.

Contributors are Marcia R. Cohen, Diana McClintock, Ann Eden Gibson, Winston Kennedy, Debra Hess Norris, Ikem Stanley Okoye, Sharon Pruitt, Carla Williams, and Margaret Andersen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Magnificent Collection - A Magnificent Book
Paul R. Jones differs from the typical collector of world-class art in too many ways to enumerate. For one thing, he is not independently wealthy nor did he inherit a fortune - no, this son of a miner grew up in a work camp, and for most of his life, his "day job" has been public service. But he has brought to his collection - and therefore, to us -a personal passion, curiosity and creativity unsurpassed by the likes of Guggenheim or Getty.

The "dean of African American collectors," Jones avoided trend buying and operated outside the more traditional acquisition modes. He occasionally purchased work he "did not understand by artists he did not know" because, in his words, "something in it drew me in...and I trusted it to take me somewhere..."Buying from (at the time) relative unknowns, his purchase often paid the month's rent or put food on the table.

The resultof this 40 year commitment to African American artists is a magnificent panorama encompassing 1500 works by the likes of Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Betye Saar and more than 60 others. This astounding collection has been donated to the University of Delaware's University Museum, and this book helps celebrate the first major exhibition of works drawn from it.

The book presents gorgeous reproductions of more than 100 works by 66 artists, with biographical information about them and also about Jones.But it's not a mere exhibition catalog; it also presents ten thought-provoking essays which intentionally strive to "de-race" African American art, placing it withinthe larger picture of the nation's history and cultural traditions. For example, Ikem Stanley Okoye's essay "Reign(ing) in Color: Toward a Wilder History of American Art" explores how the systematic use of color serves purposes other than surface appearance.

A magnificent book to celebrate a magnificent collection. ... Read more

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The Nsukka artists, a loosely affiliated group associated with the University of Nigeria, demonstrate the rich and sensitive face of creativity under the rapidly changing conditions of present-day Africa. This collection is weighted toward writings byAfrican artists and art historians and is informed by an African perspective on contemporary art.

In a major addition to the literature on contemporary African art, contributors explore the questions of identity faced by African artists, in both Africa and the West; broach the topic of the sometimes conflicting theories about art and the art market; and examine the tensions between traditional and postmodern approaches to making and viewing art.

The Nsukka Artists and Nigerian Contemporary Art offers pioneering and insightful material for the emergent field of contemporary African art and aesthetics. The Nsukka experience is of broad significance, not only for Africa in general, but as one aspect of a major third world contemporary art movement embracing Native American, Australian Aboriginal, and Oceanic cultures. ... Read more

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Described by international curator Okwui Enwezor as "one of the most dynamic and vigorous spaces of artistic practice," contemporary South African art is an exciting, emerging scene that is attracting the attention of international museums, curators, and collectors today.

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Now available in a flexi edition, this beautiful volume presents nearly 250 of the finest African masks from the incomparable Barbier-Mueller collection, which is unique in its vast number of masterpieces and wide geographic scope.

The book includes one hundred color plates accompanied by in-depth descriptions, as well as numerous black-and-white photographs of the masks as they are used in religious and secular ceremonies. An introductory text by renowned scholars describes how the masks are constructed, examines their significance in African culture, and offers insight into the universal practice of masquerading. A unique contribution to the literature on African art, this book is also a wonderful introduction to countless fascinating, age-old spiritual traditions still practiced today.

Customer Reviews (6)

African Masks: TheBarbier-Mueller Collection
Great overview of all African masks, with intelligent background and supportive material.Not just a picture book or rehash of oft-repeated images.Really a book to be used and absorbed..It will be a great help.

Best there is for collectors & lovers of African art
I bought the hardcover version of this & it is well worth the additional expense because the photos are excellent in quality & number.The printing of the photos is of a very high quality.The book is well organized by region & tribes; since many tribes do not adhere to modern borders.I also bought THE TRIBAL ARTS OF AFRICA it is very good but the organization is poor (by region & country) and the descriptions for the smaller photos are not in the same order as the photos, so one has to really search to find out what one is looking at.Whereas the variety and great quality of the photos in AFRICAN MASKS enabled me to definitively identify a mask I acquired 30 years ago.If you collect or love viewing West African carvings I recommend investing in the hardcover version.

African Masks
This is the best book I have found on the psychology and understanding of African masks.Just fantastic, worth the money.80% color plates, brief outline of basic African mask types and their interpretation, grouped byregion and by style.

African Masks
This is the best book I have found on the psychology and understanding of African masks.Just fantastic, worth the money.80% color plates, brief outline of basic African mask types and their interpretation, grouped byregion and by style.

African Masks from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, Geneva
First-rate, high quality throughout, this volume does what a book of this type should do: packs in plenty of color plates of the masks, and shows them being worn (in black-and-white in situ photos) on the accompanyingleft-hand pages of the spreads.The collection is far-ranging and, thoughit cannot include every type of mask, it does manage to convey theincredible variety, richness and paradoxical sophistication of this artform. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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The art of highland Christian Ethiopia - with its icon paintings on wood, metal processional crosses, gold coins, and manuscripts - is largely unknown in the West. This book presents a survey of this art from the 4th to the 18th centuries, and addresses the function of art within Ethiopian society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the greatest illustrated book of ethiopian sacred art
Ethiopia has one of the most unique and fascinating cultural histories in the world. Due to the isolation stemming from its high mountains and plateaus as well asby the advancing Moslem armies from 500 to 1500 AD, Ethiopia might be termed the Tibet of Africa. However in this case it is Christianity rather than Buddhism which became the binding force of its people. As a result, its art has a pronounced individuality in treating Christian themes and icons. But they possess an unworldly and overwhelming impact in their beauty and artistic integrity. The many color photos show the church painting, bronzework and book illustrations from 1200 to 1800 so the reader gets a vivid conception of the progression of style across the centuries. An essential book! ... Read more

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Produced in conjunction with the exhibition of same title, this book comprises essays focusing on the lives and works of six accomplished women artists of African and African American origins. ... Read more

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The mission of this book is to illustrate Africa's immensely fertile artistic landscape. Africa has emerged from its colonial past and is asserting its own identity. African art is not only confined to the continent itselfbut has spread world-wide through the work of those descended from the enforced migrations of the slave trade and those who have more recently left their homesin Africa to take their place on an international stage.

This book brings together more than 60 of Africa's most creative contemporary artistsdrawn from across the African continent as well as from EuropeNorth Americathe Caribbeanand South America. Their art leaps off the page with over 350 color images (many especially commissioned). In addition to painterssculptorsand photographersthere are a number of artists whose work embraces performance and installation. Many of the materials they use are as unorthodox astheir imagerywith ready made and found objects. ... Read more

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African artists speak to the reader
While its stunning photographs engage the reader, this book is set apart from previous publications by its text.Unlike earlier catalogues of the exciting contemporary art from Africa that is now being shown in Europe, "Angaza Afrika" provides biographical information for every artist. Statements by the artists themselves are an unexpected pleasure. My favorite is a quotation by photographer Samuel Fosso, who works in the Central African Republic: "Who decides what the mainstream is?I want to get my work across to as wide an audience as possible.But I'm not interested in being a part of a mainstream that doesn't reflect the reality of where I live".I enthusiastically recommend this book for anyone who has been introduced to artists such as Fosso, El Salahi, Cheri Samba, El Anatsui, William Kentridge or Rachid Koraichi in the survey of African art produced by the same publisher History of Art in Africa, A (2nd Edition)and wishes to learn more about their work. ... Read more

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This magnificent celebration of the world’s oldest and most diverse artistic traditions is considered the definitive book on African art.

Ranging from the oldest known human artifact, circa 1.6 million BC, to pieces made within living memory, the objects collected in this extraordinary volume reflect a continent of enormous cultural and historical scope. Arranged chronologically within seven geographical sections, it offers an astonishing array of sculptures in wood, bronze, stone, and gold, as well as mural paintings, ceremonial pieces, ceramics, jewelry, and textiles culled from private and public collections around the world. Commentary by renowned scholars illuminates the cultural and historical significance of these pieces, and in-depth authoritative texts highlight critical aspects of each region. Together these words and images take readers on an artistic grand tour through a continent of unparalleled diversity, and towards the thrilling discovery of not one Africa, but many. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Power and Beauty of traditional African sculpture
This book is based on intimate knowledge of Africa and its people, brings a rare clarity to her subject. Dance masks, fetish figures, reliquares, and purely decorative objects are all lavishly illustrated with carefully chosen examples and related to geographical, religious, and social conditions that inspired them. This book shows a remarkable panorama of these arts-is ample evidence of the greatness of these highly developed modes of artistic expression. Let me say that the books cover is alone "A Work Of Art". Facinating Book!!

african art
I like what I got and the price was much better than the price for the same book at the school bookstore. good deal.

Final Grade: 81%
a fair collection of colour and black and white photos of African art from all over the continent.Of all the areas, East Africa (excluding the Horn of Africa) is given the least attention.I think they could have also expanded on Ethiopian art.
Another problem is the lack of showing contemporary African art (it assumes that new Euro-influenced art is no longer African.This is of course ridiculous since contemporary Euro art since the late 19th century has been heavily African influence, yet remains European art)

Also, the book does not include African architectural art.Though I only gave it a B-minus, if there was a sliding scale I'd have to give it an A-minus due to the lack of good art books regarding Africa.

The Art of a Continent
Very informmative text, very easy to read, and understand. With pictures, and text that visually and verbably discribe in detail each object listed. Great number of art objects not available to view without the photographs in this bookI am 100% satisfied with this book and will use it as a reference, on an ongoing basis. A must for the collector of African Art.

African Art, a true collectors edition.
One of the most complete general works on African Art and well worthpurchasing for detailed information on the variation in art form, tribe,country and art style in Africa. Almost full tribal location informationand regionalised art details makes this book a must for the seriouscollector and student on the subject. From early Egyptian to more recenttimes, it is a book you have to read several times to understand that noone can ever know the true depth and complexity within the African Artworld. A good all round reference book on a much missunderstood andunderated art form.

Mark Farley ... Read more

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The rock paintings and engravings of southern Africa have long been considered obscure, yet research has managed since to piece together that message, and we now know that this beautiful and detailed art tells us about the religious experiences of the San (bushmen) who made it: centuries ago the San believed that the art carried messages from the spirit world. This book traces the story behind that research, how it started, its failures and successes, and some of its debates, linking the art to the people who made it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Misconception?
I just wanted to say that I read the info on the back of the book, and when it said that Capoeira would be featured in the 2004 Athens Olympics, I was esctatic because my boyfriend practices Capoeira and I had hopes of surprising him with the information.Little did I know that when I signed on the official 2004 Athens Olympic site and looked up the sports featured, Capoeira would not be listed.Perhaps the info on the book should be rewritten?

Add to collection
This book is part of a series of books about African and African-American related history. It gives the reader an introduction to Capoeira and is a very good book for children. There are better books for individuals who want more detailed information about Capoeira. However, this is a good selection for someone who does not know much about Capoeira.

Scam
The book "Capoeira - a martial art and a cultural tradition" is worthless if you're already into Capoeira. Most of the facts (and the song lyrics/translations) have been taken from Bira Almeidas book - "Capoeira - a brazilian artform", by that one instead! You can also get better information on Capoeira, just by seraching for "Capoeira" on the Internet! But if you want a lousy copy of Almeidas book, including a lot of wrongly named movements and stuff like that, buy this one!

Even the layout and photography is bad!

Stay away!

A Good Place to Start
Capoeira:A Martial Art and a Cultural Tradition is a good place to learn what Capoeira is. It is NOT a book to teach Capoeira. It gives a good history of this beautiful art as well as a brief insight into how it isperformed. The only downside is that it continually refers to Capoeira as agame when it is really so much more. ... Read more

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This title features designs drawn from ornamental and utilitarian objects of the African culture. ... Read more

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This book illustrates and describes the decorated wall panels, sculpture and masks created during initiation rites of the young men of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. On a broader level, the book explores the artistic and craft traditions of the local artisans.
... Read more

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This book describes the traditional designs of the Moors, Berbers, Abyssinian Christians and more from jewellery, tattoos, camel bags, rugs and other ornamented objects. ... Read more