Early African Art
African Art
African art refers to works of visual art, including works of sculpture, painting, metalwork, and pottery, originating from the various peoples of the African continent and influenced by distinct, indigenous traditions of aesthetic expression.
While the various artistic traditions of such a large and diverse continent display considerable regional and cultural variety, there are consistent artistic themes, recurring motifs, and unifying elements across the broad spectrum of the African visual expression. As is the case for every artistic tradition in human history, African art was created within specific social, political, and religious contexts. Likewise, African art was often created not purely for art's sake, but rather with some practical, spiritual, and/or didactic purpose in mind. In general, African art prioritizes conceptual and symbolic representation over realism, aiming to visualize the subject's spiritual essence.
African Art in The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Works from across the African subcontinent in The Met’s collection span a fired clay figure shaped in Mali's Inner Niger Delta in the thirteenth century to the fiber creation, LES HERBES FOLLES DU VIEUX LOGIS (2022), by contemporary Malagasy innovator Joël Andrianomearisoa. Major forms of visual expression surveyed relate to traditions of portraiture, dynastic succession, generational rites of passage, ancestor veneration, healing and divination, and theatrical performance.
A Gallery of Ancient African Art
by Mark Cartwright 30/4/21 world history
In this gallery, we look at striking examples of art from across the African continent. In gold, stone and metals, ancient and medieval African artists have not only given us unique pieces of art to admire but their works are also an insight into their respective cultures whether it be certain animals which were revered, the consideration of the human head as the container of the soul or simply what kind of jewellery was popular.
African art history
A study of African art history indicates the earliest sculpture forms found come from Nigeria and are dated around 500BC. However, the lack of archaeological excavations inhibits knowledge of the antiquity of African art and the sheer disposable nature of the raw materials used in the creation of art objects means that an untold wealth of pieces have disintegrated in time.
African Art
The BMA cares for approximately 2,500 works of African art and is known for its impressive collection of figurative sculpture from the western and central areas of the continent, as well its holdings of beadwork from the eastern and southern regions.
Arts of Africa
Encompassing intricate masks, statuary, jewelry, beadwork, textiles, carved reliefs, and stone and ceramic vessels, the arts of Africa collection reflects over 5,000 years of the continent’s great diversity and complexity. The collection of ancient Egyptian art features vibrantly painted stelae (stone slabs), a striking basalt statue of the falcon god Horus, and the richly decorated coffin of Paankhenamun.
What’s on view
by NATIONAL MUSEUM of AFRICAN ART
News, upcoming events and new exhibitions!
Ancient African Art | History, Paintings & Sculptures
The earliest form of art in Africa would be the Blombos Cave engravings. These are believed to have been created by the ancient bushmen (Khoisan people).
Summary of Traditional African Art
The histories and lineages of African art are as diverse as the communities and cultures that traverse the continent. From the ornate cave paintings of South Africa's Cederberg Mountains to the abstract masks of myriad regional traditions, African art incorporates an extraordinary array of objects, materials, media, and themes. One striking aspect of African painting, pottery, and sculpture to Western viewers might be its marked difference from historical works produced in the European Renaissance tradition, with their emphasis on vanishing-point perspective and a form of naturalistic representation.
Video: Ancient African Art | History, Paintings & Sculptures
This video explores the rich heritage of ancient African art, focusing on sub-Saharan traditions that emphasize figurative human forms, performative culture, and oral traditions. From prehistoric rock art to masks with spiritual significance, the video examines how African artistic expression reflects both practical functionality and sophisticated fractal geometry patterns that distinguish it from Western traditions.
African Art
by THE CLEVELAND ART OF MUSEUM
Transformer Station is a vibrant center for the visual and performing arts, where the Cleveland Museum of Art presents the work of emerging artists, time-based media, live music, and dynamic social experiences in Ohio City’s Hingetown neighborhood.
Africa
The galleries present varied material and artistic traditions, including forged metalwork, textiles, pottery-making, masquerade and sculpture. Cross-cutting the displays, the galleries approach a range of wider themes, including trade, identity, gender, power, religion and transformation.
African Cosmos
African Cosmos: Stellar Arts shows how the sun, moon, stars, and the phenomena of lightning and rainbows inspired the arts of Africa for thousands of years.
We have all experienced the wonder of gazing at a night sky filled with stars. Our imaginations take flight. We journey to the heavens, inspired by its majesty, and we recall stories about the constellations shining from above. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, Africans have used their celestial observations to chart their movements through the land and to create their agricultural and ritual calendars.
Origins of rock art in Africa
by The British Museum Smarthistory
Seven painted stone slabs of brown-grey quartzite, depicting a variety of animals painted in charcoal, ochre and white, were located in a Middle Stone Age deposit (100,000–60,000 years ago). These images are not easily identifiable to species level, but have been interpreted variously as felines and/or bovids; one in particular has been observed to be either a zebra, giraffe or ostrich, demonstrating the ambiguous nature of the depictions.
National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is the only national museum in the United States dedicated to the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of the arts of Africa. On exhibit are the finest examples of traditional and contemporary art from the entire continent of Africa.
Arts of Africa
The Brooklyn Museum collection of African art is among the nation’s largest and most comprehensive. Especially notable are its works from Central and West Africa dating from the 3rd century through today.
African art
It is difficult to give a useful summary of the main characteristics of the art of sub-Saharan Africa. The variety of forms and practices is so great that the attempt to do so results in a series of statements that turn out to be just as true of, for example, Western art. Thus, some African art has value as entertainment; some has political or ideological significance; some is instrumental in a ritual context; and some has aesthetic value in itself.
Magnificence of Ancient African Art: The Rich Heritage and Cultural Significance
In ancient Africa, sculptures played a prominent role in artistic expression. The skilled artisans of the time utilized various materials such as wood, bronze, terracotta, and ivory to create magnificent sculptures that continue to inspire awe to this day. These sculptures often took the form of masks, statues, and figurines, each with its own symbolic and cultural significance.
Nubia: Treasures of Ancient Africa
by SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM 18/4/22
With works spanning more than 2,000 years, Nubia: Treasures of Ancient Africa offers insights into the kingdoms that inhabited what is today the Sudanese Nile Valley. Although frequently overshadowed in the public imagination by its northern neighbor Egypt, ancient Nubia has a long and glorious past. There, a series of civilizations flourished for more than 6,000 years. Nubia’s location made it a strategic link between central and eastern Africa, western Asia, and the Mediterranean, but its history was often misinterpreted.
Africa Timeline
Paintings in charcoal, ochre and white pigments of such animals as zebras and rhinoceroses, found on portable stones in domestic debris in the Apollo 11 cave in Namibia, are the oldest datable rock paintings in Africa.
The Art of A Resource for Educators
Many colleagues participated in the development of this publication. We were
fortunate to work with Christa Clarke, Curator of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacifi c at the Newark Museum, who we commend for writing such a clear and informative text. Heartfelt gratitude and thanks go to the staff of the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas under the guidance of Julie Jones, Curator in Charge. Alisa LaGamma, Curator of African Art, provided invaluable expertise and advice in the development of this project for which we are truly grateful
African art - Mask
A Look at Ancient African Art and Its Influence on Modern Works
As the birthplace of Homo sapiens, Africa is, naturally, home to some of the world’s oldest forms of art. The images depicted in these works give insight into the lifestyles, practices, and beliefs held among the earliest civilizations. Across the continent, diverse cultures and peoples have created masks, cave paintings, pottery, and sculptures.
Art in Ancient Africa: Edgn Practice
Describe the discovery and importance of this piece of ancient African art.
The African Origin of Civilization
by THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF CIVILIZATION
Scholars today recognize Africa as the source of our common ancestry. But in 1974, Senegalese scholar and humanist Cheikh Anta Diop shocked and challenged historians by asserting the influence of ancient African civilizations in his groundbreaking book The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. This exhibition pays homage to Diop by presenting masterpieces from the Museum’s collections from west and central Africa alongside art from ancient Egypt for the first time in The Met’s history.
Ancient Africa: art and archaeology
Africa is often depicted as a land without history. Nothing could be further
from the case. In fact, the traces of human cultural expression–art, architecture and objects, or what together might be called the built environment–stretch back tens of thousands of years across the whole continent, and demonstrate the important role that artistic production had in ancient African societies. Archaeology gives us tools to study this artistic production and interpret its meaning, thus enabling us to restore ancient African art to narratives of world culture and societal evolution.
