Drawing examples from a wide range of African cultures, this ground-breaking book expands the continuing discourse on the aesthetic and cultural significance of cloth, body and dress in Africa and moves beyond contextual analysis to consider the broader application of cloth and dress to art forms in other media. In blending the concerns of Art History and Anthropology, the authors focus on the art patronage systems that stimulate production, consumption, commodification and cultural meaning, and emphasize the overriding importance of cloth to aesthetic and cultural expression in African societies. Through this approach they reveal complex processes that involve a series of actors, including textile artists, commissioning-patrons and consumer-patrons, all of whom shape cloth and dress traditions. These individuals not only influence production, but are a key to understanding the cultural meaning of cloth and dress and, by extension, the body in Africa.

The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals presents a broad geographical coverage of the rich, diverse art traditions found on the vast continent of Africa. It is designed for single-semester survey courses on African Art, and can also be used as part of a survey of global art course. Beginning with North Africa and the Sahara and ending with South Africa, the book introduces students to major art traditions ranging from important ancient, archaeological finds to the work of artists active today, both those working with received traditions as well as those trained in Western institutions. The book's organization is based on a geographical approach, allowing for art works to be situated within the particular historical and cultural contexts of the different geographical regions of Africa. For each major geographical region, a selection of early documented art works to more recent art traditions are examined. Throughout the text the authors give special attention to the important themes of gender, power, and life cycle rituals that frequently intersect with one another to inform an understanding of the arts of Africa.

Drawing examples from a wide range of African cultures, this ground-breaking book expands the continuing discourse on the aesthetic and cultural significance of cloth, body and dress in Africa and moves beyond contextual analysis to consider the broader application of cloth and dress to art forms in other media. In blending the concerns of Art History and Anthropology, the authors focus on the art patronage systems that stimulate production, consumption, commodification and cultural meaning, and emphasize the overriding importance of cloth to aesthetic and cultural expression in African societies. Through this approach they reveal complex processes that involve a series of actors, including textile artists, commissioning-patrons and consumer-patrons, all of whom shape cloth and dress traditions. These individuals not only influence production, but are a key to understanding the cultural meaning of cloth and dress and, by extension, the body in Africa.