Through African Eyes: The European in African Art,

Edited by Nii O. Quarcoopome

Over the past 500 years, African peoples have experienced and interpreted their Relationships with Europeans in particular ways. Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500 to present focuses on these historical changes as they are articulated in African visual arts.

Presented as a series of case studies, Through African Eyes addresses the arts and experiences of a representative group of African cultures. More than 90 of Africa’s finest three-dimensional art and utilitarian objects of wood, ivory, metal, and textiles illustrate changes in African perceptions of the European. Essays by leading scholars in the field provide a sense of chronological progression while providing a rich overview of artistic genres and themes issuing from this cross-cultural exchange. Through African Eyes combines diverse representational forms—from sixteenth-century Benin bronzes to contemporary satiric masks and figures along with related material culture—to demonstrate the multiple relationships that developed between Africans and Europeans and their profound impact on African visual culture.

296 pages, 9” x 11”, 150 illustrations

Paperback ISBN 978-0-89558-163-1