ASSOULINE Art | African Arts: The Impossible Collection

While traditional African works of art were created first and foremost in a ritual context, surely that in no way excludes their aesthetic dimension. Made by artists whose audacity, inventiveness and virtuosic technique can never be sufficiently emphasized, African masks and sculptures—long relegated, wrongly, to the rank of mere “idols” and “fetishes”—tell us rather just how much the African continent is the bearer of thousands of histories, its traditions nourished by countless distinctive sensibilities.

African Arts: The Impossible Collection is a meticulously curated book showcasing masterpieces of African art from renowned private and public collections worldwide. This volume, featuring key pieces—like a sixteenth century Nigerian queen mother ivory pendant and a commemorative figure from Cameroon-Grassfield (both exhibited at the MET Museum)—serves as a manifesto celebrating the boldness of African artists, known and unknown. Perfect for collectors, poets, writers and art amateurs, it inspires admiration for the rich and diverse heritage of African arts.

Over twelve chapters that present Fang reliquaries, iconic masks, terra-cotta pieces while also celebrating the hypnotic splendor of metal, the beauty in utility and the notion of eternal femininity, author Bérénice Geoffroy-Schneiter dives in detail in the history of African arts, composing with her words and unique selection a true aesthetic manifesto. This edition is the first to gather the most important artworks from around the world, making it the ultimate compendium on African arts.