ARTH 33000 - Exhibiting Africa: Collection and Display

EXHIBITING AFRICA: COLLECTION & DISPLAY  This advanced seminar analyzes the collection and display history of Africa and its art through a post-colonial lens. Interrogating claims of ownership of
cultural patrimony this course considers various modes of collection among missionaries, colonial authorities, tourists, and others. Focusing primarily on the art of sub-Saharan Africa, this course begins
with a consideration of the West’s early encounters with Africa, and the systematic collection and display of Africa’s resources. The course then shifts to the consideration of western artists’ investments
in African art and the roles museums-both in Africa and throughout the West-play in the postmodern world.