Africa in the Market: 20th Century Art from the Amrad African Art

While many publications focus on the aesthetics and symbolism of African art, few explore the historical dynamics and exchanges that have informed the way people in Africa have created, preserved, collected and sold their artworks to local and foreign patrons. The book addresses key issues of market trends, the transformation in taste and aesthetics in relation to changing historical conditions and the role of artisans, traders and collectors in mediating knowledge and value in the international art market. Richly illustrated, Africa in the Market introduces to the public the artwork in the Amrad African Art collection at the Royal Ontario Museum. The objects are framed and interpreted within essays that highlight the significant role that African makers and dealers have played in shaping Western understanding of African art. The book explores the significance of 20th century artistic production as a material component of local traditions and, at the same time, as artifacts circulating in a global market where local specificities are often lost.