African Avant-Garde: Contemporary African Art in a Global Dialogue, 1900 to the Present
ARHA 268
Spring 2025
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01
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This course provides an introduction to modern and contemporary art produced by Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. Africa is famous for its dynamic wood and metal sculptures that played a vital role in launching the modern era in Western art. While Pablo Picasso, George Braque, and Henri Matisse were studying African masks and figurative sculpture, African artists such as Aina Onabolu, Gerard Sekoto, and Kofi Antubam, among others, were beginning to experiment with new idioms of visual expression introduced from Europe. Professional schools of fine art were established in urban centers across the continent as part of the colonial project. Thus, an African avant-garde was born. African artists have been contributing to global visual dialogues in contemporary art; they participate in major biennials, and some have become superstars in the international art world. The work of artists such as Julie Mehretu, Yinka Shonibare, Ibrahim Mahama, and El Anatsui is collected by museums all over the world. This course traces the development of African art during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring the lives of artists as well as the national and global contexts in which they have worked and in which their art circulates. Class meetings will include lectures and discussions organized around reading assignments and video screenings. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFST-MN)(ARHA-MN)(ARHA)(ARST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
A selection of articles, essays, and book chapters will be available on the course Moodle page and on electronic reserves. Students will read the work of scholars such as James Clifford, Carol Ann Dixon, Jessica Dubow, Jimmy Durham, Okwui Enwezor, Bogumil Jwesiewicki, Sidney Kasfir, Prita Meier, Kobena Mercer, Elizabeth Miller, Okechukwu Nwafor, Chika Okeke-Agulu, John Peffer, Ruth Rosengarten, Sarah Van Beurden, Susan Vogel, and others.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Reading summaries, term paper, midterm exam, final exam.
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Nwafor,Okechukwu Times: ..T.R.. 01:20PM-02:40PM; Location: BOGH112; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 4 | FR: 3 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 1 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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