Contemporary African art has grown out of the diverse histories and
cultural heritage of the African continent and its diaspora. It is not
characterized by any particular style, technique or theme, but by a
bricolage-like attitude towards art-making, incorporating and building
upon the structures from which older, precolonial and colonial genres
were made.
In this revised and updated edition of Contemporary African Art,
Sidney Littlefield Kasfir examines the major themes, developments and
accomplishments in African art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Organized
thematically, the book includes new chapters on the history of African
photography and the growth of the global art market, alongside
significant discussions of patronage and mediation, artistic training
and national and diaspora identities.
Table of Contents
1. New Genres: Inventing African Popular Culture 2. From Africans Photographed to African Photographers 3. Transforming the Workshop 4. Patrons and Mediators 5. Art and Commodity 6. The African Artist: Shifting Identities in the Postcolonial World 7. The Idea of a National Culture: Decolonizing African Art 8. Migration and Displacement 9. The Global Contemporary Art World and Africa