African Dream Machines: Style, Identity and Meaning of African Headrests - Softcover

Nettleton, Anitra

 
9781868144587: African Dream Machines: Style, Identity and Meaning of African Headrests
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1868144585 ISBN 13: 9781868144587
Publisher: Wits University Press, 2007

Synopsis

African Dream Machines takes African headrests out of the category of functional objects and into the more rarefied category of ‘art’ objects. Styles in African headrests are usually defined in terms of western art and archaeological discourses, but this book interrogates these definitions of style and demonstrates the shortcomings of defining a single formal style model as exclusive to a single ethnic group.
Among the artefacts made by southern African peoples, headrests were the best known. Anitra Nettleton’s study of the uses and forms of headrests opened up a number of art-historical methodologies in the attempt to gain an understanding of form, style and content in African art objects. Her drawings of each and every headrest encountered become a major part of the project.

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About the Author

Anitra Nettleton was the Chair and Director of the Centre for Creative Arts of Africa at the Wits Art Museum (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg) until her retirment in 2016. Instrumental in founding the Standard Bank Collection of African Art at the Wits Art Museum in 1978, she has curated many exhibitions, and taught at Wits University for 35 years.

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Publisher
Wits University Press
Publication date
2007
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1868144585
ISBN 13 
9781868144587
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
487