About African Art
Painted images, textiles, sculpture, metalwork and other forms can have distinct social, political or religious roles. Objects circulated within the continent and through international networks, creating histories that cannot be explained by one continental style.
Use more specific place, date and attribution information wherever it is available. Ancient Egyptian art, for example, has its own extensive historical framework. Images made by visiting artists or later representations of African subjects also need to be distinguished from works made within a particular African artistic tradition.