Tribal Art

"Column to Volume: Formal Innovation in Chamba Statuary" studies the appearance on world art markets in the 1970s of statues identified as Chamba, originating from West Africa . Sought after for their artistic execution, these statues were stylistically different from anything previously documented in the region. Are they what the art market claimed? To answer these questions, Richard Fardon and Christine Stelzig had to combine the results of ethnographic research in Cameroon and Nigeria with research in museums and archives, as well as with the testimonies of art dealers and collectors. Deeply illustrated, "Column to Volume" offers a comprehensive account of an important sculptural tradition in West Africa, as well as fascinating insights into the tribal marking, distribution and copying of African artworks over the course of of the 1970s. Identifying formal innovation in what has been described as a "tribal" tradition, including tracing the individual sculptor responsible for the most valuable Chamba statues, this account by Fardon and Stelzig will transform readers' appreciation of Chamba sculpture. More so, their collaboration provides an instructive example of a new type of interdisciplinary, multi-site inquiry that integrates local context of use, collection history, art markets, and formal artistic appreciation for reflect the local and global context through the African artifacts that circulated during the 20th century.

Author: Richard Fardon & Christine Stelzig
Publisher: Saffron Books
Condition: used, like new
Language: English
Number of pages: 160
Dimensions: 210 x 300mm
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1872843476