In 1907 in Picasso's 'Les Desmoiselles D'Avignon' the first forms directly derived from African art appeared in modern Western art. This was not the first time that forms derived from other societies had appeared in Western art. In fact the Greek classical forms which were idealised in painting and sculpture in the eighteenth century seem to have been revalued for reasons which were not so widely different from those which brought about the introduction of African art, a widespread discontent and malaise, about the nature of industrial society, and a return to 'a lost time' or Arcadia in which man was closer to divine inspiration. (Because classical forms were re-evaluated in this spirit in the eighteenth century, they had a somewhat different social and psychological background from their use during the Classical Renaissance). However the revival of an interest in Greek classical form in the eighteenth century did not involve an interest in an alien art and it was still impossible at that time for artists and art historians to appreciate an art which differed in essential features from their own. During the following century an extraordinary revolution took place which seemed to gather momentum the more widely and deeply felt were the effects of the industrial revolution. It was remarkable at first for the Pre-Raphaelites to have considered the quattrocento Italian painters as worthy of their attention. Perhaps the most important sign of the change however was the use of Japanese prints made by Van Gogh and Gauguin, and by the end of the 19th century Italian 'primitives', Japanese woodcuts, Oceanic wood carvings, Egyptian sculpture and wallpaintings, medieval Russian icons, and the art from several other parts of the world and previous ages were having a demonstrably strong influence. What had happened to African art? Why was it the last alien art to influence Europe and why did it have a catalytic effect in the revolution in European art immeasurably greater than any other?