Contemporary African Art

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