When British colonial pioneers first drew the frontiers of modern Nigeria, they unwittingly defined an area containing nearly all the materials on which our understanding of African art history is based. Of discovered African sculptures more than a century old, at least ninety percent are Nigerian, and only in Nigeria can we trace tribal art history spanning over 2,000 years.
Nigerian Images, first published over a quarter of a century ago, rapidly achieved classic status. It presents a magnificent compilation of photographs illustrating this rich and varied art history, alongside interpretation by a distinguished ethnographer and art historian. Through superb plates and penetrating analysis, Nigerian Images reveals the complexity of tribal art forms and relates them to the cultural, philosophical, and political world in which they were created.
When British colonial pioneers first drew the frontiers of modern Nigeria, they unwittingly defined an area containing nearly all the materials on which our understanding of African art history is based. Of discovered African sculptures more than a century old, at least ninety percent are Nigerian, and only in Nigeria can we trace tribal art history spanning over 2,000 years.
Nigerian Images, first published over a quarter of a century ago, rapidly achieved classic status. It presents a magnificent compilation of photographs illustrating this rich and varied art history, alongside interpretation by a distinguished ethnographer and art historian. Through superb plates and penetrating analysis, Nigerian Images reveals the complexity of tribal art forms and relates them to the cultural, philosophical, and political world in which they were created.