A Century of African Art, in 300 Voices, All in One Book

African Artists offers a visually stunning survey of modern and contemporary artists born or based in Africa. Through the work of more than 300 painters, sculptors, photographers and conceptual artists, the diversity and resilience of African visual traditions shine. The format—organized by artist name and bearing vivid color illustrations—makes for a visual feast, perfect for dipping into to discover unfamiliar artists or savoring those who have found global fame. The Arab-speaking countries of Africa are well represented, especially Egypt and Sudan. Sculptor Mahmoud Mukhtar applied his Parisian training to the Pharaonic revival of 1920s Egypt, a tradition Adam Henein continued in the 1950s and beyond. Sudanese independence in 1957 inspired Ibrahim el-Salahi, Ahmad Shibrain and Kamala Ibrahim Ishag to found the influential Khartoum School. From Algeria the book features M’Hamed Issiakhem, one of the country’s founders of modern art, and Zineb Sedira, subject of a retrospective at London’s Whitechapel Gallery in 2024. Among Moroccans are modernist painter Ahmed Cherkaoui and Lalla Essaydi, whose early-2000s photographs of women in Orientalist poses, layered with Arabic script, turn their gaze back on Western stereotypes of the Middle East. Art has thrived in times of both hope and adversity, and the inclusion of a newer generation— like renowned Egyptian artist Wael Shawky—attests that they continue to do so.