World Art: Africa (World Art S.)

The art of Africa displays an astonishing variety of styles, techniques and materials. Whether fashioned in gold, bronze, terracotta or iron, carved in wood or woven in silk, the masterpieces presented in this volume are a testament to consummate technical mastery. Each piece is presented in a double-page spread with commentary. The volume reflects the enormous diversity of African art from culture to culture. Included here are works by the Fang, Congo and Cuba peoples of Central Africa, Ethiopian shields, burial posts of Eastern Africa, bead works of Southern Africa, items of equipment carried by Nomadic peoples such as the Massai, rock paintings of the San, objects created by the peoples at the southern edge of the Sahara, such as the Tellem and Dogon, as well as works produced by the northern cultures of the Tuareg and the Berbers. Egyptian art will be treated in a separate volume in the "World Art" series. The volume's historical coverage is equally extensive. Nigerian art, for example, is shown from its earliest highpoints with the Nok culture (6th century BCE) through Ife and the art of the Kingdom of Benin right up to the modern day Yoruba.