Willet reveals the extraordinary breadth and aesthetic power of a continent that has produced diverse forms of art. A comprehensive text that examines both the ancient and contemporary art of Africa-- from wooden figures from ancestral shrines to a recent multimedia approach to picture making-- as well as the study of African art. Moreover, Willet traces the influence of the Fang, the BaTake, the BaKota, and other African peoples, on the development of twentieth-century Western art. 261 illus., 61 in color