African art
Masks and sculptures
African art encompasses the visual traditions of Africa's diverse peoples—sculpture, masks, textiles, metalwork, and body adornment spanning thousands of years and hundreds of distinct cultures.
The term typically refers to traditional or indigenous works rather than contemporary African art, which is often discussed separately.
African art has profoundly influenced Western modernism; Picasso, Matisse, and others drew inspiration from its abstracted forms and symbolic power.
Much of it serves ritual, ceremonial, or social functions rather than purely aesthetic ones.
Sculpting in timber
- bronzeCopper-tin alloy
- terracottaFired reddish-brown ceramic
- ivoryTusk-derived material
- stoneSolid earth fragment
Face-worn concealment
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
spirituality · offerings · altar · sacrifice · healing · oracle · purification · veneration
Full of varied hues
- boldCourageous and daring
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- symbolicRepresenting through signs
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
dynamic · patterned · rhythmic · stylized · abstract · figurative · symmetry · scarification
Process of putting in
- multimediaCombined content formats
- conceptualOf or relating to ideas
- photographyCreating images from light
- videoRecorded moving imagery
experimental · mixed-media · exhibition · gallery · postcolonial · neo-expressionism · diaspora
Ghanaian ceremonial woven cloth
- mudclothMalian fabric dyed with earth
- raffiaPalm-derived weaving fiber
- beadworkStrung ornament craft
- embroideryDecorative stitching on fabric
indigo · batik · Ankara · Maasai · weaving · dyeing · appliqué · Asante
Formal return to homeland
- restitutionRestoring what was lost
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- museumPublic exhibit space
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
patrimony · archaeology · ethnography · colonial legacy · Rosetta Stone · national treasure · UNESCO · conservation
Hand-struck goblet drum
- koraAfrican bridge-harp with twenty-one strings
- calabashGourd used as vessel
- talking drumPitch-bending membrane instrument
- ngoniSahelian traditional lute
thumb piano · polyrhythm · griot · call-and-response · percussion · highlife · afrobeat
woodcarving
Sculpting in timber
- bronzeCopper-tin alloy
- terracottaFired reddish-brown ceramic
- ivoryTusk-derived material
mask
Face-worn concealment
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
initiation · spirituality · offerings · altar · sacrifice · healing · oracle · purification · veneration · libation
colorful
Full of varied hues
expressive · dynamic · patterned · rhythmic · stylized · abstract · figurative · symmetry · scarification · ornamentation
installation
Process of putting in
- multimediaCombined content formats
- conceptualOf or relating to ideas
- photographyCreating images from light
video · experimental · mixed-media · exhibition · gallery · postcolonial · neo-expressionism · diaspora
kente
Ghanaian ceremonial woven cloth
embroidery · indigo · batik · Ankara · Maasai · weaving · dyeing · appliqué · Asante · Berber
repatriation
Formal return to homeland
- restitutionRestoring what was lost
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- museumPublic exhibit space
preservation · patrimony · archaeology · ethnography · colonial legacy · Rosetta Stone · national treasure · UNESCO · conservation · decolonization
djembe
Hand-struck goblet drum
- koraAfrican bridge-harp with twenty-one strings
- calabashGourd used as vessel
- talking drumPitch-bending membrane instrument
ngoni · thumb piano · polyrhythm · griot · call-and-response · percussion · highlife · afrobeat
- world art
- African studiessub-Saharan, pan-Africanism, colonial history, negritude, postcolonial
- African artifactstribal masks, ritual objects, kente cloth, mudcloth, djembe
- racial artracial themes, racial justice, Harlem Renaissance, ethnic heritage, racial discourse
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Algeria
- artRenaissance, painters, masterpieces, paint, Baroque
African artEuropean art
Creative works from the continent
Western art · Asian art · American art · Chinese art · Japanese art
art, artist, artistic, arts, artistry, artful, artwork, artisan, artifact