History of Art in Africa, A - Tapa blanda

This comprehensive survey of African art discusses the art from the perspective of art history, unlike most account that tend to focus on a more anthropological interpretation. A History of Art in Africa shows how African art has developed from beliefs, traditions, and cultural and historical influences. The book challenges current perceptions of African art and presents it as conceptual and intentional in its own right, rather than as intuitive or "primal" impulses, as it has been previously perceived. The text covers the entire continent of Africa, including Egypt, and incorporates the influences of Islamic and Christian religious artistic traditions as well.

MONICA BLACKMUN VISONA is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Kentucky. Her publications focuses upon the arts of the Lagoon Peoples and upon the larger issues of contemporary African art. ROBIN POYNOR is Professor of Art History at the University of Florida. He is a specialist on Yoruba arts in Africa and the New World and is a regular contributor to African Arts. He has served as both consultant and guest curator for numerous exhibitions. HERBERT M. COLE is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Arts Council of the African Studies Association. He has published numerous books and exhibition catalogues. The closing chapter of this book was written by Michael Harris, Associate Professor of African American Studies at Emory University. The preface was written by Roland Abiodun, Professor of Art Hisotry at Amherst College, and the introduction was written by Suzanne Preston Blier, Allen Whitehill Clowes Professor of Fine Art and Africam American Studies at Harvard University.