Monni Adam’s ‘African visual art from an art historical perspective’: A book review

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive and critical review of the book ‘African Visual Art from an Art Historical Perspective’ authored by Monni Adams published in 1989. The book is focused on the study of artworks from Sub-Saharan indigenous societies based on the perspectives of Art Historians in the United States. The book has been an indispensable teaching and research resource for practitioners, teachers, researchers, and students of art history as well as all those who are interested in acquiring in-depth knowledge in the history of the visual arts of the African continent, especially sub-Sahara Africa. However, 35 years since it was written, there has not been any academic rigorous review of the book although it is still used as a theoretical bedrock in the African art history discipline. Hence, this critical and comprehensive review of the book scholarly discusses the context of the book within its scope of African visual art history while intelligently appraising and critiquing its contents and/or arguments while shedding light on its strengths and weaknesses.