Africa

Fülszöveg

Africa
The Art of a Continent
Edited by Tom Phillips
620 pages with 854 illustrations, 801 in colour
As the birthplace of the human race, Africa possesses a cultural history of unparalleled length. This magnificent publication reflects that vast time span: the objects'included range from the oldest known human artefact (1.6 million Be) to pieces made within living memory. In word and image the book celebrates the extraordinary variety of African art and the immense skill of its creators.
The contents are arranged geographically in a 'grand tour' that divides the continent into seven areas. Beginning with Ancient Egypt and Nubia, the tour proceeds through Ethiopia and the Sudan to the eastern coast and southern Africa, then moves up through central Africa to the coastal areas of west Africa and the countries of the sub-Saharan region. The survey ends in northern Africa, coming full circle with discussion of Egypt in its Christian and Islamic periods.
Within each of these... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Africa
The Art of a Continent
Edited by Tom Phillips
620 pages with 854 illustrations, 801 in colour
As the birthplace of the human race, Africa possesses a cultural history of unparalleled length. This magnificent publication reflects that vast time span: the objects'included range from the oldest known human artefact (1.6 million Be) to pieces made within living memory. In word and image the book celebrates the extraordinary variety of African art and the immense skill of its creators.
The contents are arranged geographically in a 'grand tour' that divides the continent into seven areas. Beginning with Ancient Egypt and Nubia, the tour proceeds through Ethiopia and the Sudan to the eastern coast and southern Africa, then moves up through central Africa to the coastal areas of west Africa and the countries of the sub-Saharan region. The survey ends in northern Africa, coming full circle with discussion of Egypt in its Christian and Islamic periods.
Within each of these seven sections objects are arranged in broadly chronological order. They demonstrate the wide range of styles in African art, inspired by different religions and cultures, and the equally astonishing variety of materials, from dung to gold and including bronze, ivory and terracotta, as well as superb wood-carvings from all over the continent. Works of art from major public and private collections in Europe and the USA are juxtaposed with the finest from Africa itself.
Commentaries on the objects, the vast majority of which are illustrated, have been provided by more than 100 specialists in the fields of archaeology, ethnography, anthropology and art history Four introductory essays examine specific aspects of African art and its reception in the West.
First published to accompany the exhibition of the same name held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, as the centrepiece of the Africa 95 festival, Africa; The Art of a Continent offers a fresh, authoritative view of art in Africa that will delight and inform specialists and laymen alike.
The editor
Tom Phillips is an internationally established artist and Royal Academician as well as being a writer on art and contributor to Anthropology Today. He has been an active collector of African art for 25 years and in 1976 co-curated the exhibition African Art from London Collections at the South London Art Gallery. Vissza