When Metaphor Becomes Material

by Richard B. Woodward

"The collection of African art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is among the most comprehensive in the United States, featuring works in all media from across the continent dating from antiquity to today. This handsome volume, the product of a groundbreaking collaboration between the museum's curators and conservators, supported by a major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, presents highlights from the collection--some never before published--alongside new scientific analysis and imaging. Six chapters detail both the historiographical and technical concerns at play in collecting...