Werner Gillon Knihy

An history of the visual arts of Africa - sculpture, painting and architecture; textiles, pottery and other household objects; jewellery, ceremonial and religious dress and body art. The author examines the major influences on African culture and art over the the civilizations of Egypt and the Mediterranean coast, the spread of Islam, the Bantu migrations, the evolution of the tribal system, the arrival of the Europeans and Christianity and the development of trade within Africa and beyond. He then examines the earliest known art forms, the preshitoric rock art found in a number of regions and the artefacts of the ancient Nubian, Aksumite and Nok cultures, and goes on to consider the development of the visual arts in a number of individual regions ranging from the Sahara to the Cape, from Ethiopia and the Swahili coast in the east to the Niger Delta and Benin in the west.

Werner Gillon examines the major influences on African culture and art over the centuries: the civilzations of Egypt and the Mediterranean coast, the spread of Islam, the Bantu migrations, the evolution of the tribal system, the arrival of the Europeans and Chrisianity and the developements of trade within Africa and beyond. He then examines the earliest known art forms, the astonishing prehistoric rock art found in a number of regions and the sophisticated artefacts of the ancient Nubia, Aksumite and Nok cultures, and goes on to consider the development of the visual arts in a number of individual regions ranging from the Sahara to the Cape, from Ethopia and the Swahili coast in the east to the Niger Delta and Benin in the west. A Short History of Africa Art is illustrated with over 250 superb photographs and 14 detailed maps, and includes an extensive bibliography and index.