Customer Reviews

The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art

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Dr. Walkers recently published book is an in depth research into the history of The Dallas Museum of Art collection of African art. This review of the first forty years is outstanding. One can only hope that this institution will continue to grow this wonderful collection under her guidance as the Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, and the Pacific and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Arts. Once you start to read it you find it hard to put down. Her knowledge of the culture, art and it's people seem endless. The photography of the pieces is equally impressive. If you are a collector or interested in increasing your knowledge of the Arts of Africa you owe it to yourself to add this book to your collection. I look forward to a Volume II.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves African Art and will have the opportunity to see the collection in Dallas. The photographs are excellent, the masks are very high quality examples from a broad range of tribal areas. I look forward to revisiting the Dallas Museum of Art to see this collection. I like the way the book is organized around the "cycle of life" themes and showing how these events are reflected in tribal art across the continent. The text accompanying the photos of the art and the ceremonial photos all combine to make this a good selection for my library and one I would think many others would also enjoy for a long time.

Not the best book available, but maybe the best for Dallas Museum of Art on African. Many of the pieces appear to be so new as to be 'tourist' or made for the trade. I assume and hope someone at the Dallas Museum of Art has vetted their collection.
If you want a reference book on African Tribal Art, you can do better.