The Image of the European in African Art

The Image of the European in African Art―a companion to The Image of the Black in Western Art series―is profusely illustrated, including many little-known works, ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day. This is the richest and most comprehensive treatment of the subject to have yet appeared, following on the work of Julius Lips and Nii O. Quarcoopone. The essays presented here reveal the complexity of the relationships between various works and the social circumstances in which they were created. Although African art depicting Europeans has often been seen only as satirical representations of colonial oppressors, the artists’ intentions were more nuanced, and in some cases were made in collaboration with their subjects.

David Bindman was Professor of the History of Art, Emeritus, at University College London.

Suzanne Preston Blier is Allen Whitehill Clowes Professor of Fine Arts and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the author of numerous books and has written extensively on the history of race and anti-Black racism in the Enlightenment. His most recent works include Stony the Road and The Black Church. He is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.