"African and African Diaspora artists creating works of art, from Ancient Egypt to today. The collection includes masterworks of sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, and textiles, reflecting the diversity of African regions and cultures." You can browse thousand of objects online. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
"Born in Mali and raised in France, Aboubakar Fofana is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose working mediums include calligraphy, textiles and natural dyes. He is known for his work in reinvigorating and redefining West African indigo dyeing techniques, and much of his focus is devoted to the preservation and reinterpretation of traditional West African textile and natural dyeing techniques and materials." [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
Arts of Africa, Dallas Museum of Art
"The DMA was an early advocate for the inclusion of African art in American art museums, and the Museum’s dedication to the field has set precedents since the 1950s. The collection is particularly strong in art from the Kongo and Luba cultures in Central Africa and the Yoruba and Edo (Benin kingdom) in West Africa." Over 2,000 objects online, easily searched by culture, date, artist, medium etc. High resolution downloads. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
African Art at the British Museum
"Our African collection represents the rich and diverse history of a continent, from the beautiful bronze-casting of Igbo-Ukwu, Ife and Benin to objects that delve into the ritual of masquerade – traditional performances that express the secret knowledge of local communities." Take a virtual tour of the gallery, or search the British Museum's very large and extraordinary collection online. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
Search the collection of African figures, masks, containers, carved stools, jewelry, and musical instruments. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
MetPublications is an online portal to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's comprehensive art publishing program. The full contents of over 1400 out-of-print titles may be read online, searched, or downloaded as a PDF for free. Some great African art titles are available for download. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
"This informative and beautiful volume sheds light on the enduring significance of textiles as a major form of aesthetic expression across Africa, relating long-standing cultural practices to recent creative developments. Some of the finest and oldest preserved examples of West African textile traditions are presented, and both their artistic and technical qualities are examined." [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
The Metropolitan Museum's exhibit "presents one hundred years of portrait photography in West Africa through nearly eighty photographs taken between the 1870s and the 1970s. These photographers explored the possibilities of their medium, developing a rich aesthetic vocabulary through compelling self-portraits, staged images against painted backdrops or open landscapes, and casual snapshots of leisurely times. Photography allowed artists and patrons alike to express their articulation of what modernity looked like—one that was constantly reinvented." View all the photographs online. [posted: Nov 22, 2022]
"The story of the fantasy coffin begins in 1950s colonial Ghana. In Ghana, chiefs are often transported via palanquins (also known as sedan chairs) during traditional festivals. In the 1950s, Seth Kane Kwei, a young carpenter, made a palanquin in the shape of a cocoa pod for one such chief. Unfortunately, the chief died unexpectedly before the festival, so he was buried in the palanquin instead. At his funeral, the unique coffin drew many admirers. Today, the workshop is owned by the descendants of Seth Kane Kwei and managed by his grandson, Eric Adjetey Anang, artist and master coffin maker." [posted: Nov 20, 2022]
"The big, bold woven baskets with their contemporary shapes and strong, quirky designs are a world removed from the conventional shapes and designs of traditional Zulu basket weaving. Yet Angeline is a rural Zulu woman who was born and still lives near Hlabisa, a deep-rural town in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal’s traditional Zululand area. Her weaving techniques and the materials she uses are also strongly rooted in the ancient Zulu art of basket weaving, which she first learnt as a child." [posted: Nov 20, 2022]
