African Art in Context: Patronage, Globalisms, and Inventiveness

3 units

This course offers an introduction to principal visual arts from Africa, pre-historic to contemporary. It explores traditions-based and contemporary arts made by African artists from across the continent in conjunction with their various contexts of creation, use, understanding, and social history. Theoretical perspectives on the collection, appropriation, and exhibition of African arts in Europe and North America will be examined. Coursework will be complemented by visits as a group or independent assignments at the Saint Louis Museum, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, and possibly a local private collection.