Sahel - Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara - the exhibition catalogue from The Metropolitan Museum of Art available to buy at Museum Bookstore

Sahel - Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara

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'Sahel derives from the Arabic word for shore or coast. It was the name given by traders crossing the oceanic Sahara to the welcoming grasslands that marked the desert’s southern rim, terrain that includes modern Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. On the evidence of art from the region, the culture early travelers encountered must have looked bewildering, rich and strange. It still does in this Met book, the catalog for the most beautiful exhibition of the 2020 season.' - New York Times

A comprehensive exploration, spanning 1,300 years, of the art and culture of the Sahel region of Africa

This groundbreaking volume, which accompanies an exhibition at the Met Museum, examines the extraordinary artistic and cultural traditions of the African region known as the Sahel ("shore" in Arabic), a vast area on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert that includes present-day Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad.

This is the first book to present a comprehensive overview of the diverse cultural achievements and traditions of the region, spanning more than 1,300 years from the pre-Islamic period through the 19th century. It features some of the earliest extant art from Africa as well as such iconic works as sculptures by the Dogon and Bamana peoples of Mali. Essays by leading international scholars discuss the art, architecture, archaeology, literature, philosophy, religion, and history of the Sahel, exploring the unique cultural landscape in which these ancient communities flourished. Richly illustrated and brilliantly argued, Sahel brings to life the enduring creativity of the different peoples who lived, traded, and traveled through this crossroads of the world.

Details
  • Author: Alisa LaGamma is Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Curator in Charge in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Hardcover: 304 pages 
  • Date published: January 2020
  • Language: English
  • ISBN: 978-1588396877
  • Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 22.9 cm

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