The World of Songye
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The World of Songye
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See moreThe ultimate and authoritative introduction to Songye culture, sculpture, masks, and iron forging
The ultimate and authoritative introduction to Songye culture, sculpture, masks, and iron forging
This lavishly illustrated book brings a new approach to the masterpieces of Songye, a Bantu ethnic group from the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. It explores the styles of the different regions, the identification of Songye master artists, and the specificity of Kifwebe masks.
The World of Songye displays a large number of unpublished and specially commissioned photographs of Songye works of art from private and public collections, and of historic field photographs. Edited by the unchallenged specialists of the subject with contributions from ten distinguished writers, The World of Songye analyzes Songye aesthetics and symbols, the Songye representation of animals and weapons, and the history of collecting Songye artefacts on the field. It also explores the religious and magical functions and powers of Songye objects and their influence on modern art, focusing in particular on Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780300267020
Publisher: Yale University Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 25 February 2025
Country: United States
Imprint: Yale University Press
Illustration: 550 color + b-w illus.
Contributors:
- Edited by François Neyt
- Edited by Cutsem Anne Vanderstraete-Van
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 311.0mm
Height: 330.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 584
About the Author
Anne Vanderstraete-Van Cutsem is an art historian, author and curator of exhibitions at the Dapper, Wereldmuseum, and Barbier-Mueller museums. François Neyt is professor emeritus at Catholic University of Louvain and the author of numerous reference books on African Art.
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