African Art: Home

Preface = Préface / Herman Burssens -- Foreword : an alternative view of the African mask = Avant-propos : un autre regard sur le masque africain / Marnix Neerman -- Masks of Sub-Saharan Africa = Les masques au sud du Sahara / Herman Burssens -- How modern art is indebted to so-called "primitive art" = Le tribut de l'art moderne envers l'art dit "primitif" / Marnix Neerman -- An hommage to the African mask = Un hommage au masque africain / Hugo Maertens -- An overview of the masks = Liste des masques -- Afterword = Postface / Herman Burssens.

"Spirits Speak presents a selection of the most important African masks found in major museums and renowned private collections around the globe: an overview such as has never been compiled in this way before. Artistic mastery, charisma, age and authenticity were paramount selection criteria with only the very best examples representing each well-known mask type. An introductory essay elucidates the conceptual intricacies and varying functions of the masks and sweeps away deep-rooted misunderstandings. Enlightening commentaries offer background information about the function and origins of each mask's use within the ethnic groups from which they originate, and a foldout map places them in their original geographical context."--BOOK JACKET