Explore the dynamic history of African art from the early twentieth century to the present.
We will begin by examining how European artists, like Pablo Picasso, were influenced by African art and thereby credited with its ‘discovery’. Visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, we will learn how ‘primitivism’ began as an artistic movement, and its implications. Importantly, we will consider the work of artists working on the African continent during the same period, whose practices challenge Western simplifications.
As we move through the century, we will study how African artists responded to the continent’s social, political, and cultural transformations. These creative responses are reflected in diverse artistic styles, from modernism to post-colonial and global contemporary art. Through focused case studies, we will examine key movements across Africa’s 54 countries, illustrating the continent’s rich and varied artistic landscape.
The course concludes by engaging with the lively contemporary African art scene and a visit to a contemporary art gallery in Oxford. We will explore how artists from Africa, working both on the continent and in the West, address themes of race, identity, and belonging. Artists such as Yinka Shonibare will serve as key examples of how contemporary work resonates with, and reinterprets historical themes, in African art.
This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.