Overview

The Tribal Arts of Africa displays and defines the remarkable fruits of thousands of years of black African creative endeavour. All the objects included here were made by Africans for their own use, hand-crafted from the beginning of the first millennium and the early 20th century, before the commercial production of art aimed at the tourist trade. The brilliant young expert Jean-Baptiste Bacquart has divided sub-Saharan Africa into forty-nine cultural areas. Each one studies the most important tribe in the region, surveying its social and political structures as well as its artistic production; in most instances this includes masks, statues and everyday objects such as textiles, furniture and jewelry. Where relevant, a short description of artistically related tribes is also provided. Each section is supported by documentary black-and-white illustrations and lavishly presented colour photographs of all the major object groups, and ends with its own bibliography, providing the reader with the possibility of further deepening his knowledge of each tribe. A detailed reference section with a glossary and information on key collectors and public collections completes the book. Interest in collecting, seeing, admiring and understanding black African art has never been stronger. The Tribal Arts of Africa is the only publication in any language to present the entire panoply of these wonderful works in an accessible form, and is an invaluable reference guide of immense use and interest to professional collectors and laymen alike.

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9780500282311

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Reviews

'An extremely detailed yet accessible look at the fantastic diversity and beauty of African work... a glimpse of Africa's creative soul' - The Sunday Times 'A very valuable research tool for those interested in looking beyond the aesthetic face of African art' - Black Arts Alliance Newsletter 'An admirable introduction which is beautifully designed and printed' - The Times Higher Education Supplement

Author Information

Jean-Baptiste Bacquart studied art history at the Sorbonne. Formerly head of the Tribal Art Department at Sotheby's he now works as a consultant advising museums and private collections on the acquisition and conservation of tribal works of art.

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