Creating Ancestors and Affinities: A Rhetorical Analysis of African Art in the Story of Modern Art

Abstract

In the twentieth century, the history of modern art was dominated by the story of modernism. Many actors in the field of art determined this course, but museums of international influence arguably had the largest say in creating this dominant narrative. Museums constructed their narratives of modern art by what they collected—and, of course, also by what they did not include in their collections—and by their presentations, both in exhibitions and in publications. This article aims to show that these constructions can be exposed through a rhetorical analysis of museum presentations, thus gaining insight as well into the question why certain narratives became dominant.