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Art/Artifact |
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During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many objects were taken from Africa to Europe as spoils of colonial wars, as anthropological artifacts, and as marketable commodities. Many of these works--removed from their cultural context and often dismantled--were valued more as artifacts from exotic cultures than as fine art, and have been shown primarily in anthropological settings. With little or no documentation of their provenance, purpose, and makers, they have been especially vulnerable to Western biases and uninformed interpretations. |
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Gone Primitive |
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Early 20th-century Modernist artists like Pablo Picasso and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner perceived African sculpture as raw, primal, and dynamic, and drew artistic inspiration from the non-Western art they saw in Europe. Their adoption of its geometric forms, vibrant colors, and vivid patterns helped define a style that became known as Primitivism. Growing out of this Modernist interest in non-Western objects, Wellesley College began acquiring sub-Saharan art in the early 1950s. The Davis Museum and Cultural Center, opened in 1993 and became the first art museum in the Boston area to have a permanent gallery devoted to African art. Initial praise, however, has given way to criticism that the installation frames African objects within Western aesthetics. The absence of detailed interpretive materials has also been criticized for obscuring the complex meanings these works hold within their own cultures. |
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Representing African Art |
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While many museum professionals and academics are reassessing Westerners' representations of non-Western art, there is much controversy over how to best convey the meanings and values given to these objects by their original makers and users. With this project's juxtaposition of photographs, recent scholarship, and museum records, the DMCC hopes to expand the understanding of African art. |
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Laura DeNormandie Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow Generous support for this project has been provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation |
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