Exhibition Cultures & Africa, Colonial to Postcolonial

Catalog description

This course examines major paradigms involved in exhibiting art and other work by African practitioners. The first part of the course explores the early influx of African objects to Europe beginning in the 19th century; displays of African arts and culture at Colonial Expositions and other colonial-era venues; issues of commodification and classification; and the construction and presentation of African objects in private settings, art museums, and ethnographic collections. The second part of the course surveys recent curatorial strategies—particularly as related to permanent collections, theme-based exhibitions, and biennials—as well as issues of “authenticity,” provenance, quality, repatriation, and value