African Art

This eloquent, intimate portfolio links full-page, full-color photographs to brief, readable text to unveil the myths and mysteries of African art and the people who created it. Five recurring themes in African art -- the human image, objects for personal and ritual use, ceremonial masks, and animal symbol and image -connect some 50 objects from 22 sub-Saharan cultures.

Gold and bronze jewelry, ceremonial objects of carved and gilded wood and bone, terra cotta figures, as well as a sampling of textiles, are illustrated. Brier descriptions place each object in its cultural and geographic context. Special features include colorful maps of historical and present-day Africa, many photos that illustrate how the objects appear in actual use, and comments on the purposes, forms, and complexities of African art.