A Short History of African Art

by Werner Gillon

Surveys the art produced in each region of Africa, including pottery, textiles, sculpture, jewelry, ceremonial clothing, and body art, and discusses the major influences on African art

Genres: Art, Africa, History

405 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Werner Gillon was born in Germany and studied engineering, art history, and European history in Berlin. In 1926 he left Germany to settle in Palestine. In 1951 he moved to London, and since then has lived in the US and Britain.

Werner Gillon is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, a member of the Association of Art Historians, and a member of the Arts Council of the African Studies Association.

Reviews

[The Lady Anna]

This was a college textbook, and my lasting memory of it is the glue used for the binding smelled very VERY strange. LOL. I had fond memories of this class, and of visiting the African Art Museum in Washington , D.C.

[Andrew H]

Informative, but in black and white, dull illustrations.

[Monty Milne]

I very much enjoyed this erudite and lavishly illustrated book even though there are a few lacunae (which the author freely admits). Two small caveats: I tend to be very impressed by books which tell me a lot about things I didn't know much about before - and African Art falls in this category - and also I do not know how much the picture has changed since the book was written. But it is a pleasure to have for the quality of the illustrations alone.